The Circus
by Charlotte4sometimeS
Summary: The Cirque d'Esprit contains thrills and chills for Sarah Williams, and after a visit her dull Autumnal college nights are penetrated by a sinister presence, someone who sits just beyond the reach of memory. Only once Sarah remembers her nemesis can the games truly begin, for what fun is there in ignorance when a score needs to be settled?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I - The Circus**

"I'm not sure about this, Lily," Sarah murmured nervously, a thin layer of perspiration spreading across her brow like a faint tidal wave. "It could be dodgy." _Or worse, it could work…_

Lily tossed her thick, faux-blonde hair as she laughed in her infamous care-free manner.

"Don't worry Sarah, these guys are always phonies. I just wondered what it would be like! It'll be fun, come on!" She yanked her best friend's hand and dragged her in the direction of an averagely sized circus tent.

The Autumn Carnival was in full swing, echoing around the nearby suburban streets. It was being held in Fross Park, a large green in the middle of the town filled with oak trees and a mediocre play area, an algae-covered pond and scattered benches. It had a notorious reputation for being treacherous at night, and most opted to skirt around the edges rather than entering the thick shadows. Leaves that littered the ground had mulched down into a slippery mass since the recent rainfall, and a dark sky made the whole affair bitter, ominous and overwhelming for Sarah. The lights of the Ferris wheel shone out across the fairground like pressing stars, but with less elegance and a cold artificiality. The music was shrill and loud, penetrating Sarah's ears through her ear muffs and making her grit her teeth. But Lily had wanted to go.

The marquee Lily had set sail for was smaller than a fully-fledged circus tent, but large enough to hold a good twenty people, and was made of red and black stripy material that shimmered with damp. Inside were a few rows of seats surrounding a small circular stage, which had a single spot light on it. The rest of the tent was dark, so people shuffled to find a seat.

"Please let's sit at the back!" Sarah begged, pulling off her ear muffs and tapping Lily.

"You're no fun! _Fine_, we'll sit here." Lily plonked herself down on the end of the back row, removing her scarf and hat.

The audience, which was largely made up of people trying to convince others they were sceptics, hummed deliriously in anticipation of the act. Sarah sat silent, a weight growing in her stomach of which Lily was completely oblivious. It was not in Lily's nature to be perceptive, especially when she had set her sights on something. A hush descended on the room as a shrouded figure entered from a curtain from the back of the stage, and took a standing position in the spot-light. He spoke in a low, French voice that rung around the tent.

"Bonjour madams et monsieurs. Welcome to the Cirque d'Esprit. I am your host, but it does not matter who I am. What matters are those with a voice, longing to reach out to the ones they used to know," He turned to a sad looking woman wearing a fleece in the eyes, "Used to love." The woman flushed.

Sarah, meanwhile, angrily dug her nails into her hands and wondered if he was actually French, or if he even knew what 'Esprit' meant. Lily had leant forward, her pale eyes widening comically.

"Tonight, I will connect with places that I like to call 'beyond the realm'. I hope that I will be able to reconnect you with people who you had almost forgotten."

Sarah's throat grew tight; she could not handle the silent atmosphere when he stopped speaking. To her relief, a low piano piece began to play.

"Now then, let me see," the host closed his eyes and placed his palms over his lids, as if he was playing peek-a-boo. "I am getting something, yes… Does anyone here begin with a C? No, a K…" He trailed off.

Everyone looked around nervously until a man in the front row uttered, "Yes, me."

The host smiled. "Please stand up, is it Kevin?"

"It's Keiran," replied the man, stuttering slightly. He was a short man of about forty-five, and he appeared to be there with a rather awkward teenager, presumably his daughter.

"Yes, Keiran…" the man paused, and moaned low. "I sense great sadness in your life. There is someone in a realm beyond that wishes to speak to you."

Keiran looked hopeful. "My wife?"

"Your wife! It is her! She wants to tell you something. She says 'I am sorry for leaving so soon'."

Keiran's eyes widened, and he sobbed aloud, "Oh, my new wife! She died last year. We had only been married a few weeks! It's just me and my Megan now," he gestured to the young girl, who stared at the French man accusatively, "Her mother left us a long time ago." Sarah could feel the room lose something; a barrier had been broken, and they all stared on, mesmerised. As Keiran babbled, Sarah wondered how he could offer up so much information in front of so many strangers.

"Is she okay?" Keiran spluttered.

"She loves you very much, and will always be watching over you."

As Keiran unleashed a great sob of joy, Sarah felt something snap in the back of her mind, something that resembled anger, but only worse. She had never wanted to come to the show or even the carnival at all, but as usual Lily had insisted. Her greatest fear would be if the host somehow knew about her dead mother, Linda; even now, she felt like a criminal in the audience, like people could smell her fear. She hissed to Lily, "_I am out of here! This is sick and devious!_" Lily sighed and shrugged, turning back to the stage.

Sarah stood and tried to creep out of the tent when suddenly the music stopped, and an audible, shared gasp filled the silence. Then a French voice rang out, cutting the air, urging Sarah "STOP!" Swinging round, Sarah was shocked to see the changed expression on the host's face. His hands had fallen, his expression wild and his eyes glazed over, almost foggy, like he was not wholly present in the room. Sarah scoffed in disbelief at his new shock tactic, that is, until he pronounced, "Sarah." She stopped breathing.

"Sarah, there is someone here for you, some one beginning with…G? No…J. Yes, J. It is very clear."

Still, no breathing.

"He says 'I am coming for you, Sarah, I am coming for you in your dreams. Now watch as your world falls down around you.'"

Without a further noise, the man collapsed into a bundle, clutching his head and moaning. His voice had been low and unfamiliar. Sarah froze on the spot, suddenly inhaling deeply having forgotten temporarily that she needed oxygen. No one went to help the man, since he had already begun to rise. "Oh dear me! I sincerely apologise for dropping in front of you all. Now, shall we proceed?"

Clearly, the man had no recollection of what had just befallen him. The room stirred nervously and equally tried to put the occurrence behind them. Sarah, however, had dashed from the tent, followed by Lily trailing behind.

Outside, Sarah's head grew heavy from the cold and the light drizzle annoyed her beyond comprehension. It was as if she was seeing the world entirely differently. Fairground lights danced before her eyes, spheres of light tossing and turning as if being manipulated by fingers. The faces on the side of the Ghost Train spooked her; they were not serpentine or demonic, but underworld and gruesome. Masked figures that breathed fire, juggled, and contorted their bodies flickered around her, and Sarah felt each and every obscured eye gather and pierce her face. Her heart pounded loudly, the tempo matching the beat of the drum that accompanied the fire-breathers. Everything around her reminded her of something too distant, something that history had done much to fade. Her head spun, and Lily appeared at her side to hold her arm.

"Are you okay? Man, that was pretty damn scary. I mean, did you see his eyes? And who do you know that has a name beginning with 'J'?" She too looked wild and excited, so Sarah grimaced.

"Lily, stop! You are twenty next month, how can you still believe in this kind of stuff?"

Lily removed herself from Sarah's side.

"Because it makes me happy, and it used to make you happy! That's why I took you to this stupid fair in the first place, to try to make you feel like a kid again. Remember when we used to sit in the garden at midnight and make oaths? Remember the solstices and our fairy hunting?"

Sarah dropped her green eyes in evasion. Lily knew no real response would come. For many years now, Sarah had been different to the girl she had befriended in high school. She was like every other person: she had hobbies, liked some music and art, read books – was _normal_. But beyond that, there was nothing else. The light that used to glint behind her façade of normality used to let Lily know Sarah was a free spirit, a believer. Now, she was just a husk.

"Let's just go back to the flat. It's too cold out anyways."

Lily sighed in defeat at her reply.

"Okay, that sounds good to me. To be honest this place gets boring kind of quickly, and I don't want to be stuck in murder-park too late!"

They began to shuffle in the direction of the exit; earlier the girls had opted to walk, since their street was only a ten minute walk away. By the time they had reached home, Sarah had grown more troubled by what had gone on that evening. Three things nagged at her the most. One: how had the performer known her name? Two: she knew literally no one that began with the letter 'J'. It annoyed her that the latter question bothered her, as she still doubted the art of 'going beyond'. And finally, three: Who was supposedly 'coming' for her, and how were they going to get into her dreams?

Sliding into bed, Sarah tried to shake off a feeling she had experienced since leaving the circus tent: one of being watched. _This is all idiotic_ she thought, _this is how they get you, how they fool you. He had no idea who I am, how could he? Perhaps he heard me talking to Lily. It was so obvious to read Keiran's problem, maybe he tried to read me…but he was so specific…_Sarah plaited her hair into a long braid.

Lily had already turned in, giving Sarah the sulky brush-off she did so well, and so Sarah felt slightly lonely and ultimately unsettled. It made her reluctant to sleep. _Don't be so ridiculous_, she reassured herself_, you are supposed to be smarter than this. You are as bad as Lily!_ Shoving her head under her pillow, she flicked off the light and eventually plunged into a deep slumber.

* * *

Images from the carnival infected her dreams that night. She was walking through the fair in an old white dress, her bare feet squelching in the undergrowth, and everywhere she looked was blinding lights shining out from the darkness. There were many tents, but she was only looking for one: the black and red circus enclosure. There was a sense of urgency in her step, as if she was looking for something or someone, but had forgotten what, or who.

She turned a corner, the wind getting trapped in her long, dark hair and chilling her skin, and came face to face with the tent. Fire breathers appeared from the tent and formed two lines, spitting fire in a low arch, jugglers throwing fire to each other hypnotically. Trying not to get burned, Sarah walked down the corridor of fire and entered through a soft velvet curtain into the arena. Inside, the seats were empty, but gentle piano music cut through the quiet eerily. The room was dark and oppressive, as if a heavy mist had settled. No one appeared to be there, so Sarah progressed forward into the spotlight. The music grew louder as she approached the light, and when she stepped into the glow it was almost unbearable to listen to. But as fast as it had started, the music then stopped. The spotlight left Sarah, went red, and landed on the curtain that lead to the back stage area.

Out of a haze that emanated from the curtain came a tall, slim figure, dressed head to toe in black. He wore dark leather boots with black leggings, and an ebony velvet shirt, all set off by a long, almost translucent cloak. Sarah nervously met his eyes, though they were higher than her level. The man that stood before her had scintillating hair, like it was made of both silver and gold, which stood up and defied gravity, with some loose strands falling over his shoulders. His eyes looked supernatural, mismatched and surrounded by the slightest shade of red on the skin. He cocked his head to the left absent-mindedly, and smiled in a bizarre fashion, a hand on his hip and the other brandishing a cane with a glass orb on top.

To say he was beautiful would be an understatement. Sarah thought she had never beheld such an ethereal being. But as much as he was striking, there was something sinister, truly malicious about the way he gazed at Sarah. All her feelings of being observed earlier that evening accumulated into his single stare. She felt sick and flighty, but could not move her feet. They were glued to the ground.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

The figure stood upright, lowering his bent arm. He frowned mockingly.

"Sarah, I am wounded. I had hoped I had made a lasting impression on the girl who nearly ruined my entire world." His voice fell from his thin mouth like a thick syrup and glazed the air between them.

Still unable to move, Sarah's nerves tightened.

"What do you mean?"

The man sighed and began to pace. Unable to turn, Sarah could only listen helplessly. As he walked past, she caught the scent of a fruit she could not place.

"Do you mean to say, I went to all this effort only to find that it is entirely wasted?"

The man was suddenly stood behind Sarah, his head on her right side, next to hers. Sarah tried to remain calm and dignified, in an attempt to hide her very obvious fear.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not sure what is going on here. If we have ever met, I don't think I remember you."

Once again, he circled Sarah, pausing close to her face. He lifted his cane under her chin and forced her face to look at his. He frowned again as he gazed into her visage, his eyes lingering on her made-up red lips. Only in her dreams did Sarah Williams don her ruby lipstick.

"You _are_ telling the truth. Pity, I had hoped our reunion would be more straight forward, more…_rewarding_."

He regarded her eyes but seemed to be focusing on a plan, formulating what to do next. Sarah, meanwhile, tried not to break her gaze. Abruptly, he turned and paced back to the curtain. "I must confess I had not planned for your complete ignorance of who I am. It is as if I've been left in an oubliette for all these years…no matter."

He turned to face her. Sarah panicked, the feeling one gets at the close of a dream hanging in her stomach.

"Wait! Look, I don't know who you are but I feel…I feel like I have seen you before. You have to tell me your name at least." She was spellbound by his otherworldly pupils. He could see this, and it made him chuckle in his throat, grinning cruelly.

"Oh Sarah, you will remember who I am soon enough, once I begin to jog your memory." His voice cascaded over her, a waterfall of threatening charm. "Until then, I shall leave you to sleep." Suddenly before her again, he took her right hand in his gloved one and dropped a kiss on it. He returned behind the curtain, but finally added, "And Sarah, my name is Jareth. See if you can remember it."

As the performer had done several hours earlier, Sarah collapsed into a heap on the floor, her legs swiftly becoming numb. A loud, shrill whistle rang in her ears, and as she clutched them the world around her began to fade. Her alarm clock informed her forcefully that it was time to get up for class, but something else nagged at Sarah. Why did she recognise the name 'Jareth'?

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

_**I feel that this story started out of frustration with my half-finished Labyrinth fanfic, which is currently on hold. Something that had previously been so simple had spun out of control, and I forgot how I ever wanted it to pan out. Then I got thinking about losing sight, forgetting things, and suddenly 'The Circus' was born. What happens if something that to an audience was a crucial stage in Sarah's life was simply forgotten by her, attributed by her as one of many childhood daydreams? I know it's been done to death, but here is my contribution to an overflowing pool: 'The Circus', a tale of a girl frantically trying to figure out why she cannot just be ordinary, and why her dreams are no longer hers.**_

_**Labyrinth is copyright of Jim Henson, 1986. Lily is my own hopeless creation.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**II - Forbidden Fruit**

Whether Sarah's Literature tutor was aware that she had forgotten to listen to the class discussion of _Sir Orfeo_ was not entirely clear, but Mr Scales could tell that something was wrong with her. She looked dishevelled in contrast to her usual tidy self, and her eyes were tired and dry. Having spent most of the first term being active in class participation, today her behaviour troubled him.

_Oubliette_.

Sarah rolled the word around her head in confusion: _oubliette_…_oub…_the word tasted funny in her mouth. It stuck out from her dream like a hidden message. What did it mean? It sounded like the French, 'to forget'…

"So, there isn't a reason that the King of the Otherworld takes Orfeo's queen?" a usually withdrawn pupil interjected.

Mr Scales replied animatedly. "No, that really is the most terrifying part of the story. The queen is stolen simply because it is possible."

Pulled away from her thoughts by his provocative statement, Sarah spoke up suddenly, agitated by the tale.

"I always thought it was a bit ridiculous, to be honest. I mean, the queen has a dream in which she is kidnapped from beneath a tree, and then goes to sleep under that very tree! It's as if she wanted to be taken."

Mr Scales was pleased with her unheralded contribution, as usual. Sarah had an impeccable talent to cut through to the core issues in literature; it helped him guide the classes.

"Yes, Sarah, I see what you mean, but I think the beauty of the tale is its theme of power. The king from below has the power to take what he wants, and bizarrely the queen succumbs to it. I often wonder if she wanted something more, in another realm. Maybe reality was not enough for her! Orfeo of course wins his queen at the end, nonetheless, but I can't help but feel that the evil king is cruelly tricked out of his prize, and that the queen might have preferred to stay." He grinned. "This is all of course just my over-analytical musings, and I'm a sucker for the underdog. Medieval minstrels didn't leave study notes on the topic."

Lily sprang into her aggressive feminist stride.

"Wouldn't it be nice if for once we read something where the woman was the protagonist, where she saved _someone_, albeit only herself?"

Mr Scales chuckled, his old grey eyes wrinkling and his white hair shifting. He sighed fondly and looked at the clock.

"I suspected you might have that response, but I am afraid it is King Horn next week. More men rescuing damsels. The reading will be in the course pack you got at the start of term. I think we're out of time, so see you next week everyone."

Everyone cleared out of the room and flared off in different directions. Lily linked her arm in Sarah's and began to natter to her about a party that was supposed to be happening that night. Sarah, however, had once again forgotten to listen. A strange collection of fragments from the class permeated her thoughts incessantly.

_The queen is stolen simply because it is possible…It's as if she wanted to be taken…has the power to take what he wants…the queen succumbs to it…she wanted something more, in another realm…reality was not enough…the evil king is cruelly tricked out of his prize._

_Wouldn't it be nice if for once we read something where the woman was the protagonist, where she saved someone, albeit only herself?_

"Are you listening to me _at all_? Seniors are going to be there!" Lily cut in.

Sarah rolled her eyes, teasing her affectionately. "Oh, well if _seniors_ are going, fetch me my carriage!"

"Hey, you!" Lily cried, poking Sarah's arm, "Less funny, more thankful. I got you invited after all." She held up her finger. "You're my plus one!"

Although she was a handful, Lily was good for Sarah, and they both knew it. Sarah smiled warmly but then became serious.

"I don't know if I want to go, Lil. It's going to be all beer and boisterous football players. You go; I have some reading to do."

Lily pseudo-sulked. "Saaaawwaaaahhh, no fair!"

Sarah blinked in disbelief at Lily's voice. She had been reminded of something so familiar, but so hard to see.

"Fine! See if I care! But you know, it would do you good to get out a bit more. You spent all your time studying now."

"We're at college, Lil. It's not even a Friday."

"Alright, enough of the conscience! Well, I'm going to Sue's to get ready, so I guess I'll see you later – much later!" she added, pulling her arm away and speeding off on another course.

Sarah continued in the direction of their building, the gentle wind caressing her denim-covered legs and teasing strands of her hair into the gust. It was just past five, but already the night was dawning and the streetlights had fluttered on. Pulling her blazer closer around her and retreating into the folds of her green scarf, Sarah crossed a courtyard and entered her building before traversing the staircase to the fourth floor, and their room, E6. The flat was uncomfortably quiet without Lily singing along to her records, drying her hair or chatting loudly on the phone, so Sarah put a record on to drown out the soundlessness. Gentle lyrics from The Cure seeped into the room. It was a creepy choice of song, as Lily never ceased to mention, but it calmed Sarah.

…_On candy-stripe legs the spider man comes, s__oftly through the shadow of the evening sun…_

Sarah tossed her coat and scarf on the floor along with her rucksack, and began to search for King Horn on her book shelf.

…_Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead, l__ooking for the victim shivering in bed…_

Something bothered her peripheral vision. As she turned her back to the room to find the text, she felt afraid, as if there was something behind her, but on spinning around to inspect her room she found nothing. Nothing, that is, apart from a new addition to the room. Over in the corner sat a fruit basket, tied with a dark red velvet bow. Swallowing apprehensively, Sarah began to quake as she padded over to the package. It was small in size and delicately arranged with vines weaved around the wicker.

…_Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and suddenly, a__ movement in the corner of the room…_

Attached was a note, which Sarah read slowly.

_Dear Sarah,_

_A little present to jog your memory._

_~ J ~_

"What?" She thought aloud. Several conflicting thoughts tore through her head. _How is this possible? Is this from him? How can it be, it was a dream!_ She was quickly hit by clarity.

…_And there is nothing I can do…_

"I know! This is Lily pulling a prank! She could only sign it 'J'! No wonder she went to Sue's! What a bitch!" She laughed at her own stupidity in falling for it, and picked up a peach. It was odd to Sarah that Lily would go for something as arbitrary as peaches, unless it was because she knew that Sarah disliked them – or thought she did. Running her thumb over it, the skin felt softer than any peach she had ever held. Come to think of it, she had never smelt such a delicious smell. Hunger tickled the wall of her throat playfully. However, she struggled against a nagging feeling that she should throw the fruit away and run as fast as she could away from it. It was like an animal instinct.

But she ignored it.

Putting the peach to her lips, she took a large bite and juices ran down her wrist, her arm, her chin, her neck, and she was overcome with the taste and aroma. Her whole body felt like it was being caressed by velvet, and her senses were clogged by the flavour, the scent, the texture. As she chewed the sweet flesh her eyes gradually became droopy and tired, her legs wobbly and her joints loose. _Maybe I should lie down for a bit_…Sarah staggered to her bed and fell flat on her front, afraid again but unable to remain conscious.

…_When I realize with fright t__hat the spider man is having me for dinner tonight…_

Her arm hung from the mattress and rested on the floor, the peach still sat in her opened palm. Her mind was entirely elsewhere, but her record somehow infiltrated the dream and played on.

…_Quietly he laughs and shaking his head, c__reeps closer now, c__loser to the foot of the bed…_

She was in what she assumed to be a hedge maze, running breathlessly as if she desperately had to get somewhere. An audible bell rang time in the distance, and as she ran Sarah became aware that she was wearing new clothes: blue jeans, a white poet shirt and her beloved childhood waistcoat. Confused, she ran on as if her feet were in control, unable to stop, until she turned a corner and hit a dead end. Frustrated, she spun around only to run head long into the tent from her previous dream. Today it was still dark, but vivid green vines grew out of the floor, the walls and the ceiling.

From behind the now familiar curtain appeared Jareth, the man Sarah remembered from the previous night. He stood in stately glory, dressed head to toe in green, reminding Sarah of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He had still donned his dark boots, but in place of his velvet shirt he wore green armour, which looked both magnificent and ominous. His cape billowed fluidly like water in a breeze, and his eyes shined independently of each other.

…_And softer than shadow and quicker than flies, h__is arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyes…_

"You again! Look, I don't know who you are but-

Jareth cut Sarah off with a vine that sprouted from his cane, which he had directed at her face. She tried to scream, but tasted ivy on her red lips. She tried to move, but the vines had come through the floor and tied her fast. All she could do was gaze at Jareth, horrified.

…_"Be still be calm be quiet now my precious girl, d__on't struggle like that or I will only love you more…_

"Sarah Williams, how kind of you to grace my Labyrinth again."

…_For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light; t__he spider man is having you for dinner tonight"…_

She looked bemused and afraid. Jareth scoffed.

"Alas, don't say you still forget? Were the peaches not an ample reminder?"

Sarah shook her head in confusion and looked as though she might cry. All she could focus on was how the peaches managed to get into her room, or if she had dreamt that too. Jareth ignored her expression and spoke on, leading casually on his left leg.

"Let us go over the list." He began to melodramatically count on his fingers. "There was the circus, of course, and the dream…and the fruit. Must I go on?"

Sarah wondered how he expected her to answer, and as she did so, the vines loosened around her mouth.

"Jareth, I have no idea what is going on. Everything feels so…wrong. Like it's shifted of off centre. I feel like I'm missing something important."

Jareth cackled mightily and tilted his head back.

"Indulge me further. Do you still not recognise me?"

Panicking slightly, Sarah squinted involuntarily and tried to remember whatever she had apparently forgotten. Eventually, she sighed in defeat. Jareth looked unimpressed.

"As usual, Sarah, you ask more of me. I shall try to afford you more effort in the coming days."

Rage welled up in Sarah's eyes.

"I've never asked you for anything! Why can't you just tell me who you are and drop this game?"

Jareth smiled.

"Because, my dear, you have to figure it out for yourself. Like a riddle."

He looked pointedly at her, but she missed the bait.

"And besides," he wandered back to the curtain, "I like games. I do _so_ enjoy winning." Jareth lifted his cane up and Sarah felt the dream begin to dissipate. It made her frantic, like she wanted to stay rooted in her spot and not face the real world. She wanted the truth.

…_And I know that in the morning I will wake up in the shivering cold…_

"Wait!"

But it was too late. She opened her eyes and felt the peach soften in her hand. Lifting it into her foggy eye line as if it were inevitable she would find something disgusting, she saw a small green worm wiggle its way across the exposed flesh.

"Urgh, gross!" She tossed it across the room and it hit the floor with a deadened thud. Images precipitously danced before her eyes as if the peach had unlocked a part of her memory previously closed off from recollection. She saw an impenetrable maze, strange faces that were not human, a morbid ballroom filled with masks, a dark stranger lost in the crowd, and finally, Jareth. Jareth, stood at her parents' bedroom window, tossing a glass orb from side to side and murmuring seductively, "Do you want it?"

…_"Come into my parlour", said the spider to the fly... "I have something... "…_

* * *

**AN: So, I was listening to a lot of The Cure when I read this! I haven't much to say about this chapter, other than I enjoy dosing Sarah up on peaches almost as much as Jareth...**

**'Lullaby' is copyright of The Cure, 1989**

**Labyrinth copyright Jim Henson, 1986**


	3. Chapter 3

**III - Repression**

When Lily finally returned in the early hours of the morning she found Sarah tucked into her bed, her clothes kicked across the floor. The bedside lamp let out a gentle yellow glow that circled the bed and bathed Sarah's half of the room in a warm light. It appeared that she had dreamily crawled into bed and conked out. Lily grinned and gently closed the door, only to turn around and trip over a rogue sneaker before plummeting onto her bed laughing. Sarah shot up, demanding, "What the hell?"

"I'm sorry Sarah!" Laughter poured out of her desperately, and she buried her head in her pillow. She was too ridiculous for Sarah to stay mad at.

"That's okay," Sarah yawned and stretched, "How was the party?"

Lily rolled over on her bed to face Sarah. "It was fun! I tried to find Dean, but I think he'd gone…"

Sarah was not a rude person; she had just become distracted as of late. Therefore, it was not Lily's fault that Sarah got distracted mid-conversation. Confusing images from a few hours before still bothered her, but that was not the real issue. The problem was that the basket had disappeared, and Sarah had realised this instantly.

"And I told him I liked him, but-

"Lily, did you see a basket?"

"What?" She replied, bewildered. Sarah swung her legs out of the bed and began to search the floor, looking under their beds and under clothes.

"A basket, it had peaches in it. Seen it? Did you move it?"

Lily stared wild eyed at Sarah like she was speaking in tongues. "No, Sarah, I haven't seen any fruit. Are you listening to me _at all_?"

Sarah looked deranged as it dawned on her that the peaches were gone. She ran a hand through her hair and sat cross-legged on the floor.

"I am; I just lost something, that's all. I seem to have lost lots of things…"

"You seem to have _lost it_if you ask me! You've been weird since the carnival the other night. Was it that spooky magic guy, because if it was you need to get over it."

"It's not that!" Sarah cried defiantly. Lily sat up on her bed and looked upset. "I…I don't know. I'm having all these crazy thoughts lately, and they feel…like memories. Like I'm not making them up. But that would be impossible…"

Lily climbed off her bed and sat down on the floor in front of Sarah, a worried expression on her face.

"What do you mean, honey? Tell me."

No matter how strange the situation, Lily was always at Sarah's side when she really needed her. When Sarah had been sick for a week the previous summer, Lily had cancelled all her plans and rented endless movies for them to watch, bringing her soup and ice for her forehead. When Sarah had been harassed by a guy in their class who could not take no for an answer, Lily threatened to set her five imaginary brothers on him unless he stopped calling Sarah. This was the first time, though, that Lily was truly worried she would be unable to help.

"I can't fully explain. I've been having nightmares since the carnival, and I thought that the strange encounter in the tent triggered them. But the truth is I recognise all these thoughts and nightmares, I have had them all before, only in different orders. I'm scared that I am on the verge of remembering something I chose to forget a long time ago. I don't think I want to remember."

Lily listened tentatively and when Sarah had finished she placed her hands on Sarah's knees.

"It's okay, we all bury things, you more than anyone I know. You had a pretty shocking adolescence and I know I'd never have gotten through it if it had happened to me. Your mum walking out, dying, and Irene marrying your Dad only to leave a few years later. I'm sure somewhere along the way you decided to repress some things."

Sarah shook her head, her dusky hair quivering. "The things I am dreaming about are, well…I suppose you would say that they cannot happen in real life."

"Tell me about the dreams. Please?"

She swallowed nervously. "There's a man. I know he's not safe; he scared me the moment I saw him, like I was afraid of something I knew he already did a long time ago. He seems to know me, and keeps going on about trying to make me remember something."

"What does he look like?"

Sarah considered Jareth for a moment.

"Magic, paradisiacal, unbelievably beautiful. He has luminous blond hair that sort of," she fanned her hand above her forehead, "Does _this_. He's taller than me, thin and wears Medieval clothes, like a prince or similar."

Lily smiled knowingly, her head in her hands. "It's funny, I recognise him too."

Sarah gawped. "_What_?"

"Not in person, of course. I just remember a description like that from the little red book you used to carry around with you in school."

"What book?" Her throat dried.

"Oh, you know, that fairy tale you were obsessed with. There was a girl and she wished her brother away, and some evil king took him. Then the girl had to find him and battle the king. What was it called…'Labyrinth', maybe. There was that bit at the end you memorised, how did it go? 'Through lots of dangers and unnumbered evils, I made it to the city'…what was it? It'll drive me crazy for the rest of the night."

Something from the back of Sarah's memory burst.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the…beyond the…Goblin city, to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is a strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great…" Sarah blinked.

"You have no power over me! Yeah! What a line! I think I loved that story nearly as much as you did. It had everything: magic, danger, riddles, love interest-

"Love interest?" Sarah blushed involuntarily.

"You know what I mean; the king had the hots for the girl, that's why he gave her 'certain powers'." Lily had picked up a torch that poked out from under her bed and had flicked it on under her chin, emphasising the last two words of her sentence with a dramatic voice.

It would have made Sarah laugh, had she not been so confused.

"I don't know how, but I had forgotten all about that book." Her face grew blank, her mouth thinning into a tight line, like she might cry.

"Old Sarah would hate you for it." Lily played with the torch, dancing the light across the ceiling.

"I think I need to find that book."

Lily turned off the torch. "What for? So you can remember it and figure out what you're dreaming about?"

Panic tossed around Sarah's stomach; would she tell Lily about the peaches? No, she thought, _she'd think I was crazy…ier_. But if she was not crazy, and the peaches had been there…Fear reared its ugly head and a huge chill sprinted down Sarah's back, causing her to let out a small hiccup.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just cold that's all." She rubbed her bare arms. "I think I should try to sleep again."

"Okay, if you're sure. Maybe over the weekend you should go visit your Dad and get the book."

"Oh, I don't know. I haven't been in my room for a long time now, or that house. It's a sad place, I hate it now Toby isn't there." Irene, having left Sarah's dad, decided Toby was to go with her to her new house two towns across. Sarah remembered watching the car drive away, with a sleeping Toby in the passenger seat.

"So go in when your dad isn't around, like when he's at work."

"Perhaps."

The girls both scrabbled off the floor and eased into their beds, exhausted from the week and the conversation. Lily's eyes drooped shut and soon a light snore could be heard escaping from under the pillow. Sleep, however, was at odds with Sarah for the remainder of the night. She watched the room grow blue at dawn, and listened for the birds to start twittering as soon as the sun arrived. Most of all, Sarah thought about Jareth, and wondered if she had somehow met him before, in a realm separate from her dreams. The thought of him being real petrified her to her heart; he was a cruel man, as far as she could remember reading, and stole children, turning them into goblins. Were it not for the peaches, she could convince herself that she was dreaming about him because of all the Medieval tales they were studying in Literature. Were it not for the taste of peach still lingering in every taste bud, Sarah could forget about Jareth once more. Were it not for the transparent, almost invisible juice coating her fingers and neck, she could convince herself Jareth was not real, or tormenting her at night.

* * *

**AN: ****This took a while to upload, primarily because I'm trying to write a lot of it ahead of publishing! I am very excited about this one. Please review! As always, I don't own any of the material or characters from Labyrinth (1986, Jim Henson).**


	4. Chapter 4

**IV - Memory**

As Sarah climbed off her bike after navigating the sodden roads, she felt a lump grow in her throat. She took in the sight of her old family home, now obscured slightly by a hazy rain shower that had arrived that morning. She shivered at the thought of her father living there alone now, with all those empty rooms and old photos of his two previous wives. It was as if the house was the seat of his own masochism, a place he could fester in the past, and Sarah guiltily avoided it like the plague. It wasn't that she did not love her father; she just saw him as a person she was irrevocably doomed to look after, or otherwise avoid. He sent her the obligatory Christmas and birthday card, but he allowed his work to consume his life. Their relationship was nothing more than formality. Finding a time when he was out of the house during the working week was not hard.

Pulling the hood of her beige jacket down, Sarah parked her bike on the porch and fished her keys out of her jeans. Trembling and praying he was not in, she turned the key and crept into the hallway like an intruder. The house was dim in the autumn daylight, and it gave the dwelling a sinister aspect, making Sarah's stomach fall. The décor was still depressingly outmoded and ugly, but Sarah smiled faintly as her adolescent years came back to her. The memories were not fond; in fact, most of them involved her yelling at Irene, throwing tantrums at her father, and ignoring Toby. Now, looking back, she smirked at the clichéd misery of her childhood, and was glad it was over. She was an adult now, and she observed her past through the fogged glass pane of experience. She had had her fair share of fleeting romances, jobs, friends, hobbies. Now she was mature, at college and officially no longer an adolescent bundle of nerves.

Determined, Sarah made for the stairs and took them quickly, echoing her juvenile footsteps. When she reached her room she took a deep breath as if she had to prepare herself for what was on the other side, and then pushed the door open with a quiet click and switched on the light. Inside, the room was identical to when she had left for college. The walls were plain, the bed neat and a few music posters decorated the wall. A few old items of clothing hung in her wardrobe, but aside from these Sarah could see no visible artefacts. In a flash of ingenuity, she went to her hands and knees and began rooting around under her bed. Her palm hit two cardboard boxes, and it began to sweat. She pulled them out excitedly, ripping at the taped up folds and forcing them open. The contents made her eyes cloud.

Inside one box were stacks of her mother's letters to her, old photos of her on opening night from her numerous plays, worn scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings, and upsettingly, a copy of her will. Sarah wiped her eyes and pushed the box back under her bed, before pulling the next box out between her legs. This was it. There were tired stuffed animals, stale story books and fairy tales, a small red lipstick, Escher prints and packed out diaries. Removing the lid of her lipstick, she saw it had dried out to an extent, but when she struck in on the back of her hand it left a definite red line, so she dragged it across her bottom lip and puckered it onto her top lip. Putting it to one side, she rooted around in pursuit of one particular item – her little crimson book.

Finally, her hand met the soft cover of said item. Forcing out short breaths, Sarah turned the cover to face her and saw the words 'The Labyrinth' shine up at her, as if to say 'here I am'. Shaking, she opened the cover and saw scrawled across the first blank page in black fountain pen "Ex Libris Sarah Williams". It was as if she was reaching back across the years and looking into the eyes of her former self, some one she no longer knew and yet knew inside and out. She touched the writing lovingly with the tip of her finger and felt the smooth ink. Shrugging off the nostalgia, she began to read the words she already knew.

Nothing.

No big revelation, no grand gesture of remembrance, no realisation of the obvious. Not one thing that Sarah did not already know entered into her consciousness, and it made her agitated. She could only be sure of one thing: she was dreaming about the Goblin King from this book, possibly even fruit-hallucinating, but _why_?

Moaning, she shoved the book into her jacket pocket and went to push the box back under her bed when she saw the light catch a beady eye that spied her from further under the bed. Hesitantly, she reached for the mysterious object and was met with the auburn face of Lancelot, her beloved childhood bear.

And all the light that was reflected in the bear's eyes mirrored the knowledge flooding into Sarah's. She saw it all clearly: the argument, the right words, the stranger in her parent's bedroom, the endless tunnels, the fantastic faces, the dancing, the great battle, the stairs, the songs, Toby…

"_Oh my God_."

Wrestling with the innumerable and unnameable emotions she was experiencing, she tried to make sense of her current situation. She remembered, she remembered it all. She had destroyed Jareth's kingdom, rescued her brother and now the Goblin King was haunting her dreams. Haunting _her life_. _It was real, it was all real. The peaches…the ball room…the peaches!_ She thought. He had been in her room.

"_Lily_!"

Without a moment's hesitation, she shoved the bear and the boxes under her bed and sprinted down the stairs, wiping her lipstick off. The cycle back to campus felt endless, and the rain punished her for her selected mode of transport. All the while, Sarah panicked savagely and prayed that Lily was still lounging in bed, enjoying their lecture-free Friday. She replayed her memories over and over, her cruelty to Toby and the thirteen hours she spent looking for him. Finally, Sarah pulled up next to her building and proceeded to run up the four flights to her room, bursting through the door.

"WOAH! What are you trying to do girl, give me heart failure? Where have you been?"

Lily was sat up in bed, still in pyjamas and eating cereal from the box. The radio blared out awful pop music, and a magazine was propped up in Lily's lap. Sarah was so overwhelmed by the familiarity of the scene that she ran over to Lily and threw her arms around her.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong? You're spilling my cereal!"

"I'm so glad you're still here!" she whimpered.

Lily shrugged her off. "What are you _talking about_?"

"Lily, I can't begin to explain what's going on right now. You'll think I've gone completely insane."

She brushed her hair from her face and slowed her breathing. Lily frowned at her best friend's mood.

"I didn't think you were crazy when you told me your dreams. Tell me more! Was your dad there? Was it awful?"

Choosing her words carefully, Sarah replied nervously.

"No, he wasn't. Look, Lil…remember I said I was scared of being on the verge of remembering something that I chose to forget a long time ago? I think I remembered."

Lily lit up. "That's great! What is it?"

Sarah took a deep breath.

"I will tell you only if you promise to try to understand."

Lily nodded with confused encouragement, and although it temporarily soothed Sarah, she was still anxious about telling Lily the truth.

"Alright…When I was fifteen, as you remember I was obsessed with drama and acting. To be honest, I was obsessed with my mum; I thought I could be like her and become a famous actress. Remember that time you found my scrapbook of all her shows and after a huge argument we didn't talk for like a week? It was my secret, our special bond. I loved her so much. Acting meant I could continue her legacy whilst simultaneously pretending I wasn't myself. I could be a princess one day and a fairy the next…" She paused and sighed, "Anyway, I loved this book more than any of my things-"

She took out the little red book and stroked the cover distractedly.

"I could pretend that somewhere a Goblin King had given me special powers and that if I chose, I could ask his goblins for help. I guess it made me feel less alone to know that there wasn't 'just life and that's it'. Mum died, and I," Sarah's voice broke, "I started needed something to believe in. I never liked religion, but I always trusted that fairies existed, that goblins ran riot while I slept and that if I really looked hard I would see the moon wink at me. So, one night when I had to babysit Toby and I was feeling really low, I got stupid. I'd been acting out 'The Labyrinth' all day and so I joked around, threatening Toby that I'd set the goblins on him unless he shut up. It was all so melodramatic and naïve, but it had very real consequences."

Here she paused and looked down at the book.

"What? Come on, you can tell me." Lily reassured her. "And then what?"

"And then it worked. I wished Toby away, and he disappeared."

Lily's eyes widened and her mouth turned down at the edges. "What do you mean?"

"Oh God, Lily, I mean I wished him away and it worked! He was gone, and when I reached the height of my panic, _he_ appeared." She put her hand above her head, fanning out her fingers to connote Jareth's hair. Lily remained silent, lips pursed with worry.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me but you know what, it's gone too far now for me to stop. In short, I had to battle my way through the Labyrinth to get to Toby. I met a small man called Hoggle, a big orange beast called Ludo and a small dog called Sir Didymus; he had a real ego problem."

Lily raised her eyebrow, but Sarah did not notice.

"It wasn't easy to do – Jareth was sneaky and if I hadn't had friends I would have probably failed. But I got to the centre and saved Toby from a room filled with stairs, like my old Escher print, leaving Jareth defeated and I can only assumed pissed, since he seems so dangerous in my dreams. I thought I was dreaming it all, but the other day he left a basket of peaches in _here_. I thought it was you messing around, because it was signed 'J' not 'Jareth', and you didn't know his name yet. I ate one and it knocked me out, and after the dream I awoke to find the peaches gone. It's all so real; the only way I know it's not is that in the dreams I have my old red lipstick on. He's back, Lily, he's back and he has a score to settle, and you are slap bang in the middle of it. If he does anything to hurt you I don't know how I'll cope."

The incoherent monologue came to a close. Lily smiled at her friend's sentiment and was touched, but her affection could not outweigh the nagging suspicion that something was very wrong with Sarah. For a few minutes the pair sat in silence, each completely ignorant of any way they could break it. It was only when Lily remembered a crucial piece of information that she excitedly spoke up.

"Holy shit Sarah, I just thought of something. Wait, did you ever tell Toby any of this? Was it like a bed time story or anything?"

"No, never. I thought it was a dream at the time and just wrote it off. I never told him, why would I? I was horrible to him!"

Lily's face grew more excited.

"Oh God, Sarah do you remember when we babysat for Karen last year, when she went to New York for the weekend? Well, you fell asleep like an amateur at about nine, and little Toby woke up and we laughed at you for a bit…

"_Hey, don't wake her! She's been working so hard lately. Let's take you back to bed."_

"_I don't wanna! Tell me a story silly Lily!"_

"_Hey, I told you one earlier! You tell me one now."_

"_Okay! Umm…Ooo, oh! I know! There was once a little boy, and when he was really sad he had some ugly friends who would play with him. They were goblins and they were funny! They smelt awful and threw lots of things around. They had a weird man who looked after them and they were all afraid of him. He had really big hair that looked like a HAIR EXPLOSION and he danced lots and sang songs. And, and when the boy was tired, his big sister came and chased him around, up and down, until she grabbed him, and there were lots of stairs everywhere!"_

"_You seem pretty sure of this story! Did Sarah tell you it?"_

"_NO! I made it all up! It's MY story."_

"_Alright honey, well maybe tell it to Sarah sometime – she used to like fairy tales."_

…And I always thought it was an odd story. He seemed so sure of it all, but so foggy on other parts. I forgot it until now."

"So, what are you saying?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"I'm saying I believe you! This coincidence is just too big, and I don't think you'd lie to me about not telling him. It's pathetic, but I'm a bit of a believer; after the whole fiasco at the carnival the other night, I can't just ignore all of this. It's pretty scary if Jareth's capable of what's in that book, but it's kind of exciting too. I just don't know what to do now…I'm not really equipped to deal with magic…" Lily looked troubled.

Sarah's eyes overflowed as she embraced her friend once more.

"I can't get over you believing me! I'm so scared. How can I ever sleep again?"

Lily suddenly sat up straight.

"Sarah, you remember now. You need to confront him, find out what he wants. Until then we'll both just end up being terrified of everything."

Fear shot into Sarah like bullets.

"Lil, what happens if I don't wake up?"

No words could solve the dilemma.

"Let's cross that bridge if we have to."

* * *

Lily and Sarah spent the day reading 'The Labyrinth' from cover to cover. It was a wonderfully vivid story about a child that got lost in the Labyrinth, until a beautiful girl managed to save her brother and defeat the Goblin King. It was a fruitless exercise, but it passed the time. When it reached the late evening, Lily gave Sarah some hot blackcurrant and told her to try to sleep, "Just try to relax."

It was easier said than done. Tossing and turning, she just could not fall asleep. Lily left the room and went for a walk around the campus to afford Sarah some space. Finally, sleep filtered into her tired head and her body went limp.

"I was wondering if you would eventually grace us with your appearance."

Sarah was stood in front of Jareth, who lounged in his throne and tapped the toe of his boot with his cane. Soft grey leggings and a white shirt did nothing to make him less frightening; in fact, paired with his pale hair he looked positively ethereal. A crowd of goblins bustled around his throne, offering him goblets of peculiar liquids and trying to shine his boots. Some focused on Sarah, drooling and laughing in her direction. Smaller, stranger birds hovered in the air menacingly, singing shrill melodies.

"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King."

Jareth closed his eyes in bliss and tilted his blond head back into his throne, inhaling the air like it was delicious. He then exhaled, swung out of his throne and paced towards Sarah, stopping inches from her.

"Welcome back, Sarah Williams."

The absurdity of the situation was too much for Sarah, who went as red as her lipstick and lost her resolve.

"What do you want Jareth? What could you possibly want from me? I got Toby back, that was the deal. What right have you got invading my dreams, sending me poisoned peaches and possessing fairground employees?"

Jareth glared into her eyes cruelly.

"Oh, _poor_ little Miss Sarah Williams. Mediocre name, mediocre life. Part of the one in two divorced families, with a bratty brother and wicked step mother. Mundane social life, few friends and no romance on the cards. No wonder you look so confused! You have _nothing_ to offer _me_."

Jareth looked proud, but turned to his posse self-consciously. All the goblins erupted in laughter, pointing at Sarah and nudging each other. Sarah blinked in disbelief at his personal remarks, but kept a poker face. She tried again.

"What's going on, why did you send me those peaches?"

He leant back on his cane.

"I wanted to make you remember, my dear. It is frightfully boring to play chess with someone who cannot remember how to play."

She scowled at his abstruseness. The goblins tittered.

"What did you mean by 'I am coming for you in your dreams'?"

Jareth smirked and gestured to himself.

"Here I am. Surely you figured that out; it's a piece of cake."

The goblins acted as if their sides were splitting. Sarah grew flustered and muddled, trying to grasp the dream.

"Alright, well what about my 'world falling down around me', huh?"

Jareth regarded his gloved left hand, then returned it to his hip.

"Now, that would be telling."

He began to circle Sarah like a bird observing its prey, each step bringing him closer to her. She shivered as she heard his cane scrap on the floor. From behind her he spoke quietly, so the goblins could not here; his words were only for her.

"I have a score to settle, Sarah. I play to win, and I expect my prize."

Unable to turn around, she cried out, "You _cannot_ have Toby!"

Jareth cackled behind her, and then passed through her as if he was a ghost, facing her once again.

"I have no desire to _babysit_ for you again. No, what I want is more important."

He leant in and paused next to her ear, his nose in her hair.

"What I want-"

He breathed the last few words.

"Is to _destroy you_."

What seemed like a cold sweat broke out all over Sarah as she jolted up in bed. Lily had been shaking Sarah violently to wake her up, and after it had proved ineffectual she had tossed a tumbler of water at her.

"Babe, are you alright? You were moaning and rolling around when I came in; you sounded awful, and looked like you'd seen a ghost. What happened?"

Sarah could barely speak.

"I got given a death sentence; that's what happened."

* * *

_**AN: Best part about writing this chapter? I wrote Goblin Ming by mistake. And Gobin King. It's been a hectic month but finally here is another chapter (and hopefully another one is on its way soon!). Please review! And as always, I own nothing to do with Jim Henson's Labyrinth, 1986.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**V – Jareth**

For Jareth, who no longer had dreams of his own, launching visitations on unwilling dreaming victims was a riotous way to pass an evening. He had his favourites: giving the newly-adolescent boy dreams of becoming a man, only to find he was naked in front of all his peers, his voice high and his body immature; making the spinster fantasise about her Prince Charming, the perfect fairy tale ending and two-point-five-children, before turning her prince into a demon and making him eat the children; sending images of wealth, love and happiness to all those who needed them, and dashing them away as dawn approached. However, recently he had stumbled upon a new preference.

Jareth had kept his distance from Sarah Williams for years now; initially, it was because she was too strong and her mind was her own. He had sadistically observed her from afar, watching her suffer breakups, her father's second divorce, and any low grades. Something always made him wish that he was the one causing her pain, so he regarded these scenes with a strange, tarnished sympathy. Equally, when she had received outstanding grades, gotten a job at her college newspaper, kissed a boy for the first time, and found a room to stay in with Lily, he had felt the same confusion of bitterness, desiring to be the cause of her smiles and blushes. Jareth had felt powerless, unable to be the cause of any of her emotions when his little red book and his Labyrinth had once been the only things she needed. When he had performed fantastic magic just to move her, he raged when it had no visible impact on her.

Then, gradually, Sarah began to wilt. She began to doubt her career options, her love life, her income, and especially her own sense of self-worth. It was ineffable; some trigger somewhere let off a domino effect of weakness. And Jareth heard her silent call.

With as strong a determination as the helplessness he had felt before, Jareth had begun to plan. The goblins that normally littered his throne room grew tired and dejected once he took to sitting in his throne for hours on end, just plotting. When Sarah had agreed to attend the carnival with Lily, his imagination ran riot and his desire to manipulate Sarah's emotions grew unmanageable. There was only one thing he did not count on: she had no idea who he was.

* * *

"_**And Sarah, my name is Jareth. See if you can remember it."**_

The circus tent soon became the dusty throne room once more, and all the black Jareth wore melted as if the dye was running out of his clothes and dissolving. As the dream evaporated, Jareth exploded into a fit of anger and cast his cane across the room, the end smashing into thousands of pieces just inches away from a small, impressionable goblin. He squeaked, jumped, and scampered away.

The moment Jareth had been envisaging for five years now had been ruined by the fallibility of human memory. It was as if all Sarah's capacity to believe had been crushed by the growing weight of responsibility and adulthood. He growled loudly and hurled himself childishly into his throne. All of his royal charm, his stability and regal behaviour had vanished along with the dream. The goblins had not seen him this angry in many years, and retreated into nooks and crannies, hoping he might not throw anything larger.

"Foiled, completely foiled! Five years, and she still-" He could not admit aloud that she had all the power.

_No matter,_ he calmed himself, breathing deeply, _I have ways of reminding obstinate girls what is really important_.

* * *

"_**I like games. I do so enjoy winning."**_

Ivy unwound from the scenery and the throne room came into view. _Yes_, he thought, _it is only a matter of time now_. Anger still swirled in his gut at her forgetfulness, but he supressed it. Soon, she would remember everything. Just as soon as she found a trigger.

* * *

"_**What I want is to destroy you."**_

Sarah left the throne room. He had chosen to keep the setting familiar so that Sarah might fully appreciate the reality of the situation she was in. Standing tall, Jareth turned to his goblins and bowed, being met by disjointed applause and indecipherable cheers. He grinned, and began to pace casually across the room, forming a crystal and observing Sarah inside its glassy form. He saw tears tumble from her cheeks onto her friend. Finally, Jareth was the cause of Sarah's tears once more.

Now all that was left to do was the final step, the grand finale, after which Sarah would be like a crystal in his hands.

* * *

**AN: A short chapter, but I always like seeing things from the other side.**


	6. Chapter 6

**VI – Merging**

Saturday was for most of the college students a welcomed relief from the trials of the previous days' lectures, but for Sarah and Lily the day only heralded another twenty-four hours lost to fear, confusion and denial. Sarah had chosen to remain awake for the rest of the night and complete her English reading, and Lily had fallen asleep at three despite her vow to see the night through. Now it was eleven in the morning, and the pair sat awkwardly on the bench outside their building, trying not to speak in clichés or upset the other with short tempers. Bikes whizzed past, employees left their university rooms to smoke, and birds pecked at the loose takeaway wrappers from the Friday night that littered the square. Lily soon grew frustrated with their silence and made an attempt at progress.

"You beat him before Sarah, so why are you so afraid now?"

Sarah tilted her head up from where it had been resting in her arms and squinted through the autumn sun.

"Something's changed – I'm not sure if it's him or me, but regardless, he wants revenge and I can't stand up to him like I used to. His magic is more cruel and less beautiful now. When I was a kid I thought I could do anything, but now…"

She returned her head to her bent arms and sighed. "There's only one thing I can do if I am unable to resist being taken there: I need to fight."

She spoke strongly, but visions of torture passed through her imagination: she saw herself strangled by vines, bruised by thrown crystals, drowned in a bog, beaten by goblins and pulverised by the Cleaners.

Lily meditated, and then replied, "You've seemed to gloss over something quite crucial, Sarah."

Sarah returned her gaze to her friend. "What?"

Reaching into her pocket, Lily withdrew the little red book and flipped to a specific page.

"_But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl._"

"Okay, I see what you're saying but that story isn't necessarily about me," protested Sarah, who had turned away to hide her flushed cheeks.

Lily scoffed.

"You can barely convince yourself, let alone me."

Sarah gritted her teeth but could not bite her tongue.

"Lily, why would someone in love with me want to destroy me? It's ridiculous and convoluted. I've got no power over him at all."

Rather suddenly, Sarah's dishevelled father appeared in the near distance walking across the square towards them. Sarah jumped up. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

Robert Williams smiled inelegantly as he shuffled nearer and held up his palm to them both. "Hi Sarah, hi Lily." He stood gawkily in front of them in his brown suit. His hair was steadily greying, and deep wrinkles were setting up camp on his face. "Is a Dad not allowed to surprise his daughter? I know it's been a while."

Sarah's heart sank in her chest with guilt; he had only been to visit once, when she had first moved in. "Come on Dad, there must be something."

He shifted on the spot. "Well, actually I did want to ask you if you'd been home recently. Yesterday, in fact."

Sarah swallowed. "How do you mean?"

"The light was on in your room and the bed was a bit ruffled; I just assumed you'd needed something. If it wasn't you then I'm stumped."

_Time to confess_. "Yeah, alright it was me. I did need something so I popped in. Sorry if I bothered you at all."

Robert chuckled. "Nah, it's okay. I'm just happy I wasn't burgled!" Everyone smiled as the tension lifted somewhat. "Oh, I almost forgot - you left this on the floor. It's how I knew your address – I lost the bit of paper with it on, you see."

He took a small parcel from his bag and handed it to her. It was wrapped in dark brown paper and addressed in neat, fluid handwriting. "Dad, where did you say this was?"

"Just on the floor by your dresser. Don't you remember?"

Sarah flinched. "Oh, silly me, of course! Sorry Dad…" she trailed off and gawped at the package.

Robert looked at his watch. "Anyway, I was only swinging by; I'm actually off to the golf club with a few guys from work."

Lily chirped in. "That sounds really nice! Perfect day for it."

He smiled and turned to Sarah.

"Okay honey, I'll see you soon. Keep in touch?"

It was more begging than a demanding. Sarah stood to embrace her father.

"I will Dad, sorry." She paused. "I love you, you know."

He pulled away. "I know. You too."

Once he had left, Lily nudged Sarah. "What the hell is that package? We got no mail yesterday."

"I don't think the mailman delivered it Lil."

Sarah apprehensively tore at the seam of the parcel and ran her finger down the fold to open the paper. Inside was a small box with a card marked 'J'. Taking off the lid, she found a lipstick identical to the one in her bedroom in every way, except it was fresh and moist, as if new.

"Why would he send you that?" Lily interjected.

"I have no idea," murmured Sarah, running her finger over the card, "It's like a joke."

* * *

"It's no good Lily, I have to sleep some time. I can't bear this!" Sarah rubbed her eyes vigorously and scratched her head. The girls had remained awake and watched reruns of The Young Ones on their tiny television until beyond midnight, and now lethargy had won in its battle against Sarah.

"I know; I just don't know what else we can do!" Lily lamented. "I'm going to make coffee, be back in a minute." Lily grabbed two unwashed mugs and made for the communal kitchen. Now alone, Sarah felt her eyes open and close. Giving in, she laid down her head for a few moments and closed her eyes properly.

She was in the boggy part of the Labyrinth; it was all puddles and squelches, and Sarah's lace-ups were soon plastered with mud and foliage. "Oh God, I fell asleep! No, don't panic Sarah, Lily will wake you up!" Having found no real comfort in her reassurance, Sarah made her way across the marshland towards the familiar bridge. Unwillingly, she began to cross the rickety structure, praying Lily would wake her up soon and wondering where Didymus was. As she reached the middle, the wood inevitably gave way, causing Sarah to clutch at a nearby branch for her life. The Bog of Eternal Stench festered below her, teasing her with its splutters and almost beckoning her to fall in. Strength eluding her, the branch slipped from her grasp and she screamed, hurtling straight for the Bog.

She never hit the slimy surface. When she opened her eyes she was falling through what felt like bubbles caressing her, until she landed in a dimly lit room. "Urgh, where am I?" she asked the air, and was met by her reflection in a small, cracked mirror hung carelessly on one of the walls.

Seeing her own meagre reflection made Sarah bite her lip and feel that the situation was too real. The face was hers, except her hair fell in large waves as opposed to her straight locks, and she now wore a plain white dress, the kind she used to rehearse in. She raised her hand and felt her flushed cheek, but then she noticed lips were pale and plain, and she froze. The next thirty seconds were spent goggling at her lips and trying to convince herself that she didn't _have_ to wear lipstick for it to be a dream. Her thoughts were interrupted when she realised that there was another reflection in the mirror.

Jareth stood close behind Sarah and laughed loudly, the sound reverberating around the cell. It made the hairs on Sarah's skin stand up. He was dressed in deep, dark blue, and his skin looked dusky.

"Now, I don't suppose you brought your little present with you, did you? It looks like you'll be needing it."

Laughing in his throat as Sarah began to search her pockets frantically, he took a step back to enjoy the scene more fully. Sarah pulled the red lipstick from her dress pocket, and Jareth continued to mock her, revelling in her distraught reflection.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lily returned to her bedroom with two cups of coffee and a packet of sugar.

"Hey, I forgot how much sugar you take so I just-

The items in Lily's hands crashed to the floor as she regarded Sarah's empty bed.

Sarah was gone, and in her place was peach attached to a card with a thin green ribbon. Trembling, Lily picked up the tag and read the words quickly.

_Black King takes White Queen. Checkmate._

* * *

The lipstick felt cold and heavy in Sarah's hand, burdening her. In fact, she felt as if the walls were closing in around her, as if Jareth's laughter was pushing down on her skull. Swaying, she demanded, "Where am I?"

"In an oubliette. I thought it rather fitting to leave you here, since you found it so easy to forget me."

The mirror danced before her eyes and her vision fogged, causing her to fall forward. Jareth stopped laughing as he felt his hands grab her arms to hold her up.

"Don't give up yet, Sarah. Surely the champion of the Labyrinth has more to offer than the fainting damsel?"

Sarah steadied herself and yanked her arms away from Jareth, turning to face him.

"Oh cut the melodrama Jareth, what were you expecting? The femme fatale? You can't just drop someone in a hole and expect them to be sound."

Boldness bubbled up as Sarah realised that she was older than her last visit to the Labyrinth, and wiser. However, one thing she was not enjoying was her proximity to Jareth. His frame towered over hers and he stared at her like a bird glowers at its prey.

"I suppose I had hoped for a little more fight and a little less adolescence. It looks like I got a mixture of both." Jareth ran a finger along Sarah's jaw line menacingly. To his surprise, she swatted it away.

"You have no power over-"

Jareth had thrown his hand around her throat at the mention of those words. Sarah's eyes began to bulge and water as she struggled for breath, frantically scratching at his hands. He shoved her into the mirror and his eyes bore deep into hers. They were black and liquid, like precious stones, and appeared emotionless. Suddenly, he dropped her and left her spluttering in a heap on the floor, clutching her neck in pain.

"Your words mean nothing, Sarah," he threatened, in a low, solemn voice. "So long as you are here, you are mine to rule. This is my kingdom, and I refuse to be shown up by a little girl again."

Wiping tears from her cheeks, Sarah gasped hysterically, "Why did you bring me here? You lost! I got Toby back! For God's sake, if you want to destroy me then just _kill me already_!"

Disbelief entered Jareth's face as he began to cackle again. "Oh Sarah, I don't want to _kill _you; what would be the fun in that? No, what I have planned for you is much better, a far more satisfying destruction than merely hurling you into the Bog. I have devised a little excursion for you." Jareth grinned widely. "In your absence I decided to up the stakes, and as such none of those who have dared enter my Labyrinth have come out. Since your," he gritted his teeth, "'_victory'_ was largely due to oversight on my part, I made certain alterations."

Jareth fixed his eyes on Sarah.

"Consider yourself wished away, Sarah, and now you have to run to save yourself."

Sarah remained on the floor, the cold floor chilling her through the soft folds of her dress. She rubbed her neck and arms miserably and wondered what Lily would think when she saw her gone.

"But I don't understand! Why torment me? Why couldn't you have just let me be, let me have a normal life?"

Jareth glanced at her profoundly from under his silky fringe. "Because you decided five years ago that you would ruin mine, and now it's my turn for revenge. I cannot go on until I have you in my power, Sarah Williams, no matter how long it takes."

Jareth turned and begun to pace away from her, somehow gaining distance when Sarah knew full well a wall had previously been in his path. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth, before you become mine _forever_…" His voice faded as he disappeared into obscurity.

Fighting to urge to wail in self-pity, Sarah cleared her bruised throat and staggered to her feet. As she had feared, the walls still closed in around her and all that remained was the cracked mirror.

* * *

**AN: So – Sarah's finally there! I was apprehensive about writing this chapter, because I want Jareth to be pretty scary, but it is so easy to see him as David Bowie prancing around in tights. I hope it works. Reviews always welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

**VII - Comradeship**

A cracked mirror was something Sarah viewed as pathetic, a mere cliché; something laughable in a teen movie or horror story. But now, as she stood in the dark with only a small glint of light peering in from the high roof of the oubliette, the broken mirror was her only comfort. It reflected her tired, injured, young face, letting her know she was still physically together even if she was losing her mind. On feeling Jareth's fingers tighten around her throat she had given up any vague inclination that she was dreaming, and now doubt was out of the question. She pressed the growing bruises and they temporarily tinged white before returning to the ever increasing purple hue. Sighing loudly, Sarah rested her face in her palms and tried to clear her head. Soon her mind drifted to her beloved Medieval romances and she groaned quietly as the realisation dawned on her; she had become the abductee.

"Oh God!" she thought aloud, "I'm a damn cliché!"

Then her mind wandered further as she considered the mirror some more. She knew that Jareth had modelled her previous obstacles inside the Labyrinth on elements of her Overground life, like her mild obsession with Escher or her fascination with fairy tales. She thought hard; what was her current pursuit? _Literature…Mirrors…they come up a lot in literature. Look at Alice and Wonderland…they're portals, other worlds…better worlds…_ Sarah lifted a finger and ran it down the cracks, sensing weakness in their structure. Eagerly, she pushed with the palms of her hands and the mirror buckled, exploding backwards and letting in the brilliant light of dawn. It made Sarah rub her eyes and remember her lack of sleep, but this was only a momentary sensation; the gorgeous rays that dazzled Sarah gave her hope, making her chest swell with relief, because she had already beaten her first obstacle.

Dusting herself down, Sarah found that the outskirts of the Underground were largely unchanged. The dusty wasteland seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, and only a few rocks and dead trees were visible; she shuddered and hoped she would never face being lost out in the desert. Upon turning around to face her oubliette Sarah was astonished to find it had vanished, and instead what lay before her was a tall, mossy and rather ominous wall, covered with lichen and some sort of dripping, silvery liquid. It made Sarah sigh with tainted nostalgia; she had never expected to see the walls of the Labyrinth again, but whilst they appealed to her reminiscent tendency they also heralded her journey to come – they were an omen of exclusion, of 'enter if you dare'. Pulling herself straight and swallowing her fear, Sarah began to pace alongside the wall, through the weeds, searching for the giant doors she knew to exist. There were no fairies as before, but when Sarah suddenly stepped on something that sounded crispy, she cried 'Ew!' and discovered that what looked like the exoskeleton of a fairy lay beneath her shoe. In fact, they littered the weeds and left shimmery spectres across the floor. _Oh God, horrible!_ Sarah scuffed the soles of her shoes in the dirt and walked on cautiously.

As she approached a familiar fountain, she halted when she spied someone perched over the water making low sounds like a growl mixed with a moan. Pressing herself against the wall, Sarah observed the creature. He was somewhere between a lion and a human; his eyes were large and a miserable blue, and he had a black nose, whiskers and a set of sharp teeth. His wild shaggy hair burst out from under a helmet that had a visor, and he had a matching goatee. Rather strangely, he held himself like a man but had furry arms and legs, with paws for feet, but his hands had fingers and he wore black gloves. His upper body was covered with some metal armour but his lower body was bare. Worryingly for Sarah, his armour bore the same crest that Jareth wore on a leather band around his neck._ Remember Sarah, everything is not always what it seems_, she spurred herself on.

Sarah took soft, tentative steps up to the pool-side, and as she got near the creature moaned another low growl into his gloved hands, making her jump. The noise of Sarah's disrupted pace made the half-man shoot up, a large flag pole thrust in her direction.

"Who goes!?" he cried menacingly, but not convincingly.

With her hands in the air, Sarah replied, "My name is Sarah, Sarah Williams!" When she saw his hands were shaking and the pole swaying, she added, "Please don't hurt me, I mean you no harm!"

The stranger looked shocked that he had elicited such apparent fear, and took a step forward. "Do you mean to say that _you_ are the famous Sarah Williams, the girl that single-handedly defeated the Labyrinth?" His voice sounded fake and rehearsed.

"I don't think 'single-handedly' is fair, I had a lot of help from my friends." A pang of guilt struck Sarah as it dawned on her that in previous years she had totally forgotten her friends from the Labyrinth. The lion-man's nose twitched as he replied in a weaker voice.

"Look, it doesn't matter! I am from the king's Royal Guard, and it is my duty to protect everything inside these walls!"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at his tatty, ripped sleeves and tarnished armour. "Are you sure you are?" she asked, walking towards him as he retreated, the pole still shaking in his trembling hands, "Because I think you look rather shabby for a guard."

Abruptly, he dropped the pole and roared miserably, throwing his hands over his face and kneeling on the floor. Sarah frowned at her behaviour and knelt beside him carefully, patting his arm gently. "Hey! Come on, there's no need to be sad. What's wrong? Tell me about it."

From behind his gloved hands, the stranger began to speak. "I'm a fraud! I used to b-b-be in the Royal Guard, b-b-but the king…he personally threw me out! Literally! He dropped me b-b-beyond the Labyrinth walls and left me here to perish! Said I was a coward and not fit to battle an ant!" He descended again into blubbering as Sarah lamented. _How original. A cowardly lion. I thought maybe I would find someone as useful as Hoggle, but looks like it won't be as easy this time_.

"It can't be that bad. Here, tell me your name."

He sniffed.

"It's Froud, like if you said 'frowned' without the 'n'."

Sarah smiled.

"Okay, Froud you are. I'm Sarah." She extended her hand, and Froud clasped it nervously in his.

"Why are you being…kind?" His stutter faded.

"Because I need a friend who can help me, and you look like you need one too. Besides, you need to get back into the Labyrinth, and so do I. How long have you been out here?"

"Three days."

"You poor thing!" She brushed down his fur and straightened his helmet. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but…what are you?"

Froud's face fell. "I used to b-be a man. I was just a b-boy when I entered the Royal Guard, only sixteen years old. My mother was so happy; I only joined to make her and father proud, I can't stand violence! I was in training for three years and finally, on my first day, when we were practicing fencing, a goblin let off a fire cracker near me and I leapt behind the nearest defences. It was awful! When Jareth was informed that I was a coward he called me to his throne room, laughed maniacally at me and turned me into _this_. Like a lion, he said, but only half way there because I wasn't b-brave, I just had b-blond shaggy hair. He dumped me here, and you know the rest."

Froud trailed off and stared miserably into the pool at his reflection. Anger swelled in Sarah's throat and stomach. "Froud, I am so sorry for what he did to you. That's the kind of ruler he is: he rules on the principles of fear, selfishness and stubbornness. I promise you that if you join me now and help me through the Labyrinth, I will personally punish him for what he did to you." She did not reassure Froud much, as he descended again into violent shakes.

"B-b-but he'll kill me! I'll be a traitor and strung up!"

"Oh Froud, come on! It's either die out here alone or die with honour trying to better the lives of people like you! I'm not going to be naïve and say everything will be fine," she stroked her bruised neck absentmindedly, "because it will be harder than anything we've ever done."

Both swallowed simultaneously, and a cold wind whistled around their ankles, lifting the glittery dust from the earth and casting the scent of the Labyrinth into Sarah's hair. The gust seemed to swirl around her momentarily, as if familiarising itself with its new occupant.

"I suppose I can't stay out here," Froud replied finally, "anything could get me out here." He smiled meekly.

"Great! I'm so glad you said yes! Come on, let's try to find this door."

* * *

Jareth watched Sarah and Froud pad around the edge of the Labyrinth in a crystal and finally crushed it in his hand, anger entering the lines of his face. He grabbed a travel-sized goblin that happened to be scuttling past and demanded, "How does she do it? How does she just get people to turn their world upside down, to just drop everything to help her?" He tossed the goblin across the room, and it landed with a 'plop' near the door before hurrying away.

Jareth stood up and began to pace agitatedly, wondering if once again he hand underestimated Sarah Williams and overestimated his Labyrinth. He wiped a hand over his face, then formed a crystal and saw that Froud had found the doors to the Labyrinth. "Right," Jareth muttered aloud, "Time for round one." His eyes grew green as they bore into the crystal.

* * *

Froud had proved to be an invaluable companion on the journey thus far; he had found the door to the Labyrinth, and proceeded to find all the hidden paths of the outskirts of the Labyrinth. He lifted his hands nervously each time, and walked cautiously through the hidden gaps in the walls before beckoning Sarah to follow.

"Froud, you're not as big a coward as you might seem at first, you know."

Froud smiled timidly.

"I'm glad someone thinks so."

The integrity with which Froud spoke those words was soon to be diminished by what was to unfold. From below their feet, bursting forth from the ground, harsh and sharp green vines sprouted and began to entwine around the pairs' ankles. The pain was searing and was worsened by the eyes that were buried in the creepers, which stared menacingly.

"Froud!" Sarah shrieked, "What do we do?" A vine wrapped around her arms and pulled Sarah to the ground, soon tightening around her mouth and squeezing tightly.

* * *

Jareth watched with fervour as he saw his plan reap rewards. Sarah was on the ground, writhing in pain and calling out for mercy, and Froud was weeping softly in much the same predicament. The Goblin King revealed in satisfaction as he knew soon they would be rooted to the spot and Sarah would lose precious time. Throwing his head back, closing his eyes and lowering his crystal, Jareth sighed comfortably. He felt he would win.

A piercing shriek intruded on his relaxation and so he shot up to regard the crystal. Panic entered his face momentarily as he saw Sarah's neck pierced by the vines just centimetres from a vital artery. Suddenly, Jareth did not want to be responsible for Sarah's misery anymore; he wanted to make her smile. He felt as he did on the fateful night when he abducted Sarah's brother: he took Toby to make her happy, but adopted the role of tyrant to make her afraid. Something inside of him made him shake the feeling off and forced him to enjoy the scene, but the once dormant feelings he had for Sarah had begun to surface and contradict his hatred for her. He tried to justify it to himself. _How can one have a mortal enemy when one's mortal enemy is dead? That is why she must live..._

* * *

In a flash of inspiration Froud somehow managed to loosen his right arm and reach a knife hidden in his armour. With as much vigour as he could muster, he plunged the knife into one of the eyes in the greenery and Sarah was sure that through all her pain, she felt the vines jar. He began to repeatedly hack every vine his knife met, angrily cutting and disregarding his own wellbeing as he made it his priority to free Sarah. She was in a bad way, little cuts scattered across her body and a few gashes tarnishing her left cheek. The vines retreated, and what Froud had sliced off withered and turned to dust, leaving the pair exhausted and terrified on the floor, quaking and scrambling away from the dust.

"Sarah, are you hurt? Are you alright?"

Sarah had sat up and was now examining her arms.

"I'm hurt Froud, but I could be worse." The tiny cuts did not bleed excessively except for the incisions on her cheek, so she tore a small section from the bottom of her scuffed white dress and began to dab at it. Froud, meanwhile, sucked on his arms with his lion face and bemoaned the fact he had entered the Labyrinth.

"Oh Froud, come on. It's not that bad."

"B-b-but he's going to kill us!"

Sarah opened her mouth, but closed it when she realised she could offer no reassurance. Whatever she used to think and fear about the Goblin King was now heightened by the peaches, the bruises on her neck, and the cuts on her cheek. Jareth wanted her blood, and anyone who joined her quest would be in the line of fire. She sighed and rubbed Froud's back.

"Listen, no one said this was going to be easy. I know it's going to be scary, but if we do nothing then Jareth will be able to do as he pleases for…forever! The bad guys don't win; that's not how it works."

Froud moaned lowly and then brushed the dirt from his fur as he began to rise. "I suppose you're right. We'd best hurry, unlike Jareth we don't have forever."

* * *

**AN: Introducing Froud! I know, what an original name... I apologise, because the chapters ahead are going to be split between Sarah's progress and Jareth's attempts to stop her, so you might feel like you're on a see-saw, but I promise it is necessary! I am really enjoying writing this one, more to upload soon. Please review! And no, I own no rights to Labyrinth. Or Brian Froud. I wish I did...**


	8. Chapter 8

**VIII – Ten Hours Left**

Sarah and Froud paced through the long corridors of the Labyrinth, which gradually spread out and became sandy in colour, wider and on the whole more welcoming. They did however eventually come to a large decayed brown door that shimmered with the sweat of the Labyrinth. It made Sarah gag slightly, but she swallowed her fear and asked, "Do we have to go in there?"

Froud nodded grimly. "It's the only way I know. It leads to the tunnels, and once we're in there I can take us to the forest. It's a short cut, I promise. Otherwise we'll get stuck in the hedge mazes, and there are guards everywhere!"

Sarah swallowed and helped him push open the creaky doors. A damp smell rushed from the tunnel and filled Sarah's lungs with a putrid fog, causing her to cough. "Urgh! As if it could get any worse?" Thoughts of Sir Didymus replaced her fearful ones, and her face fell when she realised how much she missed all her old friends. _Hoggle…Ludo…where are you?_

The tunnels were dimly lit by torches that refused to go out. Grabbing one, Sarah swung the torch around and took the lead, breathing heavily and trying to ignore the creepers watching them from the wall and the spiders that gathered in corners and conspired.

"Jareth doesn't entertain much, does he?" She joked nervously.

"What do you mean?" replied Froud, obviously befuddled by her humour.

"I mean that this place is a dump! I know it is supposed to be scary, but it can't be fun for those that live here."

"We don't really get a say in the matter. And it's not as if Jareth ever has any visitors, apart from runners or new goblin arrivals."

Sarah was suddenly gagging to ask a question that even her little red book could not answer.

"Froud, what exactly _is _Jareth?"

Froud was not surprised by her question; he had been contemplating Jareth, and what he was capable of, since they had entered the Labyrinth.

"Some people claim he's a very impressive goblin, some a shape-shifter with magical powers. Others claim fae, or fairie, or warlock. All we can say for sure is that for hundreds of years he has ruled the Labyrinth, and he keeps himself to himself. But I'm certain he is a fae; I mean, his parents are faes, but I suppose only a select few know about it all..."

"But what about the goblins, where do they come from? Did they all used to be children?"

"No, not all of them. Legend says that when Jareth was crowned, it was a step down for him politically. He had his sights on other kingdoms, but his father felt that he was…'unsuited' to be a ruler. Too kind-

"TOO KIND?"

Froud jumped, then regained composure.

"Yes, believe it or not Jareth used to be a puppy dog. No one knows how long it was before he changed, or why. Some say he loathed the job, and became cruel. Another theory is that he became power hungry." Froud trembled as they entered a rather nasty tunnel. "Anyway, his job is to overlook the Labyrinth. It was made to trick fickle humans – no offence – into wishing either themselves or others away. The majority become goblins, which faes employ to do their dirty work, like fighting battles and carrying out messy tasks. Those that are deemed too good for such work are…" Froud trailed off.

Sarah prompted him, moving cobwebs from their path. "Are what?"

"'Reassigned' to other kingdoms, to be slaves."

"What kind of slaves?" Her eyes widened.

"_All_ kinds…"

Sarah's mouth fell, revealing the tips of her front teeth, and for a moment she looked as young as she had done on her first visit to the Labyrinth. Froud went on, quivering slightly.

"There is a delicate system in place to ensnare these humans. The Labyrinth, for as long as it has functioned, has succeeded in capturing people due to one little red book-

"I had that book!" Sarah interjected.

"Exactly. You, a young girl, read the book and want to be the girl in the story, the girl that loses someone, the girl that beats the Labyrinth, the girl the Goblin King falls in love with…"

Here Sarah blushed as she recollected the conversation she had with Lily. _You know what I mean; the king had the hots for the girl, that's why he gave her 'certain powers'._

"All the girls want to be her. They find a solution to an annoying brother, a mean stepmother or horrid teacher, and hey presto, Jareth gets another goblin slave, and the human girl is sent to," he swallowed, "The Realm of the Faes."

"What's that?"

"It's where all the faes live, and where Jareth's parents rule. You do _not_ want to ever meet them." He hiccupped and got goose bumps.

Sarah was still blushing, feeling foolish for falling into Jareth's trap when she was a young girl. Desperate to focus on something else, she changed the subject.

"So, what about you? You were once human, right? But you grew up here?"

"Yeah. I was raised by goblin parents; they were like humans, just…different. I was wished away by a pregnant woman; she woke up one day and I was gone. Somehow I had been transported into my mother, who was previously unable to have children. Jareth let her keep me on the condition I was to join the Royal Guard when I turned sixteen. I was one of the few full humans in the Labyrinth, but Jareth changed that soon enough."

Froud was leading confidently now, mechanically, as if he had walked the route hundreds of time before. When he was telling stories, his voice changed and he authoritatively related the information like he was in a trance.

"So how do you know all this? I've never met anyone here that knows this much."

He shrugged.

"People are reluctant to talk. I pick up pieces of whispered conversations, and I've read many books."

* * *

_Round two._

* * *

As Froud and Sarah turned the corner, a loud puff of breath extinguished their previously indestructible torch and plunged them into near darkness. "Froud?" He did not reply. Instead, he whimpered at the sight of two eyes glaring out of the haze. They shone like beacons of despair, making Sarah tremble involuntarily and clutch Froud's hand. Froud whispered breathlessly, "_Amphisbaena_." And then a second pair of eyes appeared.

A giant snake with eyes like fire slithered into view, and then another, until Sarah realised that they both belonged to the same body. The body in question was carpeted in glittering scales that reflected the fiery eyes.

Froud whispered, "B-b-back away. It's _venomous_."

They both began to sidle backwards, but the snake hissed loudly and advanced. Sarah and Froud dived in opposite directions, and luckily both snake heads went for the opposite prey so their heads collided mid-attack. The pair scrabbled to their feet and began to run frantically, Froud leading and moaning uncontrollably. The Amphisbaena advanced, hissing and spitting venom in their direction. A drop hit Sarah's arm and singed through her sleeve, burning the skin beneath. She cried out in pain, but still ran. Froud turned and threw his knife at the snake, and it plummeted into one of the four eyes. The back head of the snake screeched and fell to the floor, happy to be dragged along with the rest of the body.

Just as Sarah was ready to give in, a rope ladder fell from the ceiling up ahead from a beam of light pouring in from above. "Froud, grab the ladder!" They began to climb desperately up the rungs, but the monster violently gnashed at the rope and nearly took Froud's left leg clean off. Finally Sarah reached the top, and after glancing over her shoulder to check on Froud she shoved the grate above their heads and sunlight burst in. The snake shrieked once again and fell backwards, allowing Sarah and Froud to escape. They collapsed on the stone ground outside and inhaled the sweet, greenery-infused air, thanking unknown deities that they were alive.

Froud was the first to speak. "God, I can't believe the Amphisb-b-baena is real! I always thought it was a myth! Jareth sure has it in for you. And me, now…" Froud saw Sarah's burnt arm. "Oh no, it got you? Are you alright?"

Sarah winced. "I'll be fine. At least it didn't get into any cuts, else I'd be done for. Are you okay?"

A silky, sadistic voice answered.

"Very well, actually. I am rather enjoying the spectacle."

Jareth stood between them in majestic grandeur, arms folded and his head tilted at a jaunty angle. Sarah could have killed him. She stood and tried to be level with him, but he was too tall.

"I don't give a _damn_ about how _you_ are. _You_ are the one trying to kill us!"

Jareth grinned and showed his sharp teeth.

"As I told you before, my dear, I do not want to _kill _you. That would be far too easy."

Sarah threw her arms in the air in exasperation.

"I can't believe I'm even having this conversation! There is no reasoning with you! How do I know you're even going to let me go free when I complete the Labyrinth?"

"_When_?"

Sarah huffed out her chest.

"Yes, 'when'."

Jareth scoffed.

"Assuming you do win, yes, I will let you go free. At a price."

Sarah groaned, "There's always something with you."

Froud had been decidedly quiet during the whole exchange, amazed that Sarah could face Jareth so bravely. As if he could hear Froud's thoughts, Jareth turned to the quivering lion-man and smirked.

"I see the cavalry's here."

Jareth grabbed Froud by the scruff of his neck and lifted him from the floor.

"Put him down!" Sarah demanded, but to no avail.

"So, Sarah, is this the handsome prince that is going to save you? His bite is as big as a mouse's."

"Leave him alone! He's four times the man you are."

Jareth frowned and let Froud fall, advancing on Sarah. She backed up against a hedge but Jareth still approached, stopping inches from her face and glaring into her complexion. She could smell goblins and magic. His eyes had grown murky, almost red, and his teeth grew sharper. A snake had formed in his left hand, and it hissed up at her.

"Once I'm finished with you, you'll be _begging_ me to rule you."

Sarah tiled her head away from the Goblin King, unable to hide her fear, but this meant her bruised neck was turned towards him. He caught sight of the bruises on her throat for the first time properly, along with her burn and cuts, and his own throat closed. All he could think of was how young and fragile she was, and how he had man-handled her. Angry at his own weakness, his long-lost chivalry resurfacing, he turned and stormed off, slowly disappearing into the air. He left Sarah confused, upset and tired, still clutching her arm.

* * *

Jealous was not a shade that suited the Goblin King; indeed, Jareth glowed angry with embarrassment when he remembered the way he handled Hoggle when Sarah had planted her lips on his cheek. And now, after seeing her reaction to the lion-headed beast, he began to question his intentions. As before, he wanted Sarah to lose. He wanted her to beg for his mercy, to be on hand and knee ready to serve him, but he had never wanted that from any human before. In fact, they had bored him beyond comprehension, with their snivelling faces and fallibility. For a while, he had been bored by Sarah, but that was before she had run the Labyrinth. She had more bravery and fight than any of the other bundles of nerves, and she, at such a tender adolescent age, had beaten him. What he felt for her now was a subtle merging of love and hate, desire and repulsion, need and indifference. He raged when her affections were focussed on anyone else, but that was because he wanted her to solely focus on him. Therefore, when he returned back to the throne room, his mind still stamped with the picture of her many injuries, he felt ashamed and humiliated that he had to literally force her to keep her eyes on him.

As he sat in his throne, ready to watch the adventurers once more, he contemplated whether he should call the whole thing off. However, once back in position as ruler his face became unforgiving, and he threw off any feelings of guilt. He had a kingdom to protect, and, almost hypnotically, he began to plot once more.

* * *

**AN: I love Medieval mythology, scary monsters and super creeps, so expect more of them! I also love writing Jareth, especially since I have big plans for him in this story. I saw in the reviews that DreamTea was wondering how an evil Jareth can be a love interest, but never fear; I have ways of making these things work! I am really enjoying writing this, and just churned out a ton of text, so expect more soon, and as always please review :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**IX – Nine Hours Left**

Sarah was left aghast with two questions on her lips: would Jareth actually free her if she won, and, more pressingly, who had saved them from the Amphisbaena?

She looked around, assessing the scene before her. The sun was high in the sky but it was not yet midday as shadows still stretched across the stone paving. There were hedges around them but the worst of the hedge maze was over. Froud was still sat on the floor, obscured by a big metal pot. The grate to the tunnels below was firmly shut, the rope ladder having fallen into the drop, but there was no sign of who put it there. Nothing, that is, except a small glinting object on the floor near the grate. Sarah advanced, scooping up the small treasure, and saw it was a bracelet; the same bracelet she had given Hoggle.

"_Hoggle_," Sarah whispered, "_I need you. All of you_."

"Sarah?" Froud came out from behind the pot and saw that Sarah was gripping something and pressing it to her chest, her eyes tightly closed. He roused her from her thoughts. Sarah opened her eyes and swiftly slipped the jewelry onto her wrist

"I'm alright."

Froud nodded, still dumbfounded by her confrontation with Jareth. Then, when he looked around the surrounding area, he gulped. "Sarah, about the shortcut - it got cut short…"

Sarah came to her senses and began to spin, noticing that they were in the inner section of the hedge maze. The worst of it had passed, but they still had to negotiate the remainder of the sector before they could reach the forest and then the Junkyard. The journey racked up minutes in Sarah's head. _Urgh! I wish I had a watch!_

"What time is it Froud?"

Froud shrugged.

"Probably only three hours have passed. Hang on! There's a sundial!"

Sarah followed Froud as he excitedly dashed through a hedge arch into an opening and found the sun dial. It was about waist height, made of dark stone and had a thin metal triangular shape on the top. Sarah had never read a sun dial, so she left Froud in his element.

"I was a bit out, um...we've been nearly four hours now."

"_Four hours_! That can't be right!" To Sarah, it seemed impossible.

_Oh but it is_, Jareth thought happily, _and since my fine slithery fellow put you off course, you have no hope._

He widened his smirk and swung out of his throne, paced across the room and leant over a table. On it was a large glass chess board, but it looked highly irregular to the untrained eye. The board itself mirrored the rings of the Labyrinth. It had the sandy outskirts, the dank tunnels, the green hedges, the walls, the Bog, the junk - all of it.

Instead of two sets of identical pieces, one side was decked out in black glass figures; the first row was small goblins, the rooks were pointed towers, the knights were menacing and needed no horses, the bishops were snakes and the king was the spitting image of Jareth. There was no Queen.

On the other side of the board were fewer white glass figurines. There was a miniature of Froud, cowering behind a naïve looking Sarah, and they had only progressed a few spaces across the board. One of the snakes had been placed at the side of the board by Jareth earlier, after Sarah had blinded his monster in the tunnels.

Jareth, his finger having been poised over one of the knights, scraped it across the board towards Sarah, and in doing so the dark glass turned a deep shade of emerald.

_Round three._

* * *

"We're taking far too long!"

Froud did not reply. A dark shadow had loomed over the sun dial while Sarah had been complaining, and now he was ignoring her words and debating whether to turn around. He could neither speak nor move. Sarah, meanwhile, had finally grown annoyed at Froud.

"Why are you ignoring me? Froud?"

There was still no reply, but this time Sarah saw the shadow and whipped around. Before her towered a giant knight, and he was entirely green.

_A green knight. When is Sir Gawain going to get here, then?_

His skin was green, his armour was green; even his eyes were green. There was something deadly sinister about his hollow looking, calm eyes - like he might snap at any minute. He held an awful axe that glistened like water, and seemed to be made of green steel, with gold etched into it, and his hand rested gently on the handle.

It was Sarah's turn to stutter.

"W-w-what do you want? To fight us?"

The knight replied in a loud, booming voice.

"No, I seek no battle, I assure you truly: no one here could match me with their feeble powers."

He glanced at Froud, who hung back behind Sarah.

Sarah could not believe what she was hearing. These were the lines she had read only days before.

"Then, what do you want?"

The knight straightened up.

"Maiden, I ask of you a game…"

Sarah scoffed.

"No wonder you and Jareth get on so well! I forgot how much you liked games...alright, what game?"

Her confidence left her when she remembered the games the knight usually enjoyed. _Damn. The beheading game! I can't beat him at that! Would Jareth really want it to end like that? He wants to destroy me metaphorically…_

"Maiden, I normally lend this heavy axe to my challenger to handle as he likes, and I stand bare of armour, and brave the first blow. However, I cannot fight a lady. I therefore propose that we place our heads on the line in a challenge of wit. You will be glad to grant me the game that is mine by right, madam?"

Sarah clutched her head in confusion, partly due to the déjà vu she was experiencing having already read Sir Gawain, and partly due to the strange proposition.

"So, what? Do we have a debate or something?" _This is taking too much time…_

The knight shook his head.

"I shall begin with my riddle, then you must answer. Now then," the knight cleared his throat, then spoke these words:

"A lonely wanderer, wounded with iron, I am smitten with war-blades, sated with strife,  
Worn with the sword-edge; I have seen many battles, Much hazardous fighting, oft without hope  
Of comforts or help in the carnage of war Ere I perish and fall in the fighting of men.  
The leavings of hammers, the handiwork of smiths, Batter and bite me, hard-edged and sharp;  
The brunt of the battle I am doomed to endure. In all the folk-stead no leech could I find  
With wort or simple to heal my wounds; But day and night with the deadly blows  
The marks of the war-blades double and deepen."

As he finished, he bowed gently and then awaited her reply. Sarah thought hard. She knew that Medieval riddles should not stupefy her, but this one made her draw a blank. She panicked, wondering how long she would have to stay there until she got it right. Then, a little voice came from behind her.

"Is it a s-s-shield?"

The knight raised an eyebrow as Froud almost mimed the correct answer. He muttered, "I-I-I'm sure I read it somewhere…"

"Correct, young sir. Now, maiden, you must hoodwink me, or we play again."

His eyes narrowed.

Sarah nodded and frantically tried to think of a riddle he would be unable to answer. _It needs to be nothing he knows…something modern…does that count? I've got it!_

She blabbered out, "What asks no questions but needs an answer?"

Froud and the knight looked equally as confused. Sarah switched between looking at them both, and laughed uproariously when she realised neither knew the answer. The knight looked furious, his brow knitted tight and his forehead perspiring. Eventually, he growled, "_What could it possibly be_?"

Sarah shrieked in success. "A PHONE!"

Froud remained muddled, but the knight became manic. He looked overloaded, utterly beguiled and like he might kill Sarah. He began to walk towards her, his hand on his axe, and the smile vanished from Sarah's face.

"Hey! I won! I beat you; you're breaking your own rules!"

As he advanced and the pair retreated, his skin and armour began to turn grey, as if he was fading. He swung his axe high, but by the time he tried to swing it at them he found he could no longer move; his whole body was turning to stone. Suddenly, he crumbled to the ground and cast a cloud of dust into the air. When it thinned, all that was left on the floor was his armour and a small sprig of holly with lush red berries. _Of course_, thought Sarah, _I wondered where the holly was_…

She stood up and brushed off the dust from her dress that was rapidly becoming grey instead of white. The armour before her glinted in the sun and, having somehow shrunk, almost beckoned her to wear it, so she slipped into the body piece and tucked the holly into her dress pocket.

"Look, Froud I'm dressed like you!" She ran her finger over the crest on the armour. Jareth's crest.

Sarah glanced at the sun dial and frowned. "Come on, we've lost too much time already. We've got to go on!"

* * *

Somewhere in the heart of the castle at the centre of the Labyrinth, the Goblin King had picked up the green glass knight from his chess board and crushed it in the palm of his hand, his pendant radiating red light. Sarah Williams had outsmarted his best warrior.

* * *

**AN: They just have to keep rolling with the punches...I think the hard part about writing about someone running the Labyrinth against Jareth is balancing the episodic moments when he hurls things in their path with the times he lets them be. I know in the film he is cocky and underestimates Sarah, so I am trying to make him try a bit harder, but still be arrogant enough to think he can just sit back and watch most of the time! I am touched by the traffic stats for this story, so please keep reading and review!**

**Also, I fixed the bracelet/ring shenanigans, and I am appalled at myself for making that mistake, but to be fair I did write this chapter in the wee small hours. No, you know what, there is no excuse! It will be forever known as Bracelet-gate O.O**


	10. Chapter 10

**X – Eight hours left**

Froud managed to traverse the hedge maze, during which time Sarah marched confidently in her new armour, the holly swaying in her pocket. She was a disturbing sight, with small cuts all over her arms, three cuts in her cheek, a burn on one arm and a ragged, torn dress. Still she persevered, undaunted be her appearance; it had never mattered much to her anyway. Froud had been a bit quiet since their last encounter with Jareth, so she tried to get him talking.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but can you tell me more about Jareth _before_ he became the king?"

Froud was only too happy to be of assistance, since he had cowered behind a lady earlier on.

"It's fine, you can ask all you need. A lot of rumours and tales hover around the Labyrinth about Jareth and where he came from, but most of it is rubbish; some even suggest he was a powerful goblin that took control of the kingdom. If you're like me and know enough about his fae background, there is literature to back up that when he was born his parents were astounded at his demeanour and physical appearance. Both of Jareth's parents are pale, but have very ebon hair and eyes darker that darkness itself." He shuddered. "I've only ever seen them once when I was extremely young, but I will never forget them. Anyway, Jareth was red-cheeked, bright green-eyed and blond. They were shocked, like he wasn't their child."

Froud paused for a moment, sniffed the air and turned on his heel to go left instead of right.

"As he grew up it became worse. He had lots of pets, used his magic to make lots of glass balls that he threw for the animals to fetch, and he would sing to them too. He was never interested in choosing a suitor either, much to his mother's dismay. Eventually, when Jareth reached eighteen years old, they sent him here on his birthday. Said they had a very special present for him, when really they wanted him out of their realm and in another. They left him to rule the Labyrinth, and ever since then he has been trapped here, hardened inside and out. He still craves the company of animals, but not woodland creatures. Now he surrounds himself with goblins and sings to them, wanting their attention desperately. I saw it; it's like a macabre parody of a previous Jareth."

There was one thing Sarah still could not fathom.

"Then why did he change? Why is he so cruel?"

Froud shrugged.

"Like I said, there are many theories. All I know is that people say the change was instantaneous. I read a report of the coronation. The second he sat in that throne, they say all the bright green colour drained from his eyes and they became mismatched, confused, like there were two different Jareth's in there. He became a tyrant to all. His parents rarely came here, until…"

"Until I won the Labyrinth?"

"They thought he was going soft, that he let you win, but the truth is his parents never bargained on a girl as gifted as you entering the Labyrinth."

Sarah blushed.

"You know, Froud, you are never more confident than when you are telling a story."

Froud joined in the blush. He replied, coyly, "I actually wanted to be a writer, not a Royal Guard. I didn't think I was good enough, and anyway everything I've told you is other people's words."

"I know, but it doesn't matter. Sometimes the best stories work with tales that already exist." She thought of _Sir Orfeo_ and Orpheus, and wished she was tucked up in bed preparing for another Literature assignment.

"We're here."

Froud cut in, because they had finally reached the edge of the hedge maze. Before them was a large pale stone wall covered with decaying vines. Four doors with copper knockers were embedded in the foliage, each bearing inscriptions:

Door 1: It's behind 2 or 3  
Door 2: It's behind 1 or 4  
Door 3: It's in here  
Door 4: It's not in here

The words meant nothing unexplained. Sarah frowned. "What does this mean?"

"Allow me to tell you, my dear."

Once again, Jareth had appeared behind them. His arms were folded and his head was typically cocked to the right nonchalantly. He had actually been there a lot longer, but only long enough to see Froud compliment Sarah and her do the same to Froud. Jareth held back his rage and remained regal, trying to impose in a stately manner as opposed his bogey man stance. His pendant sat on his bare chest and glowed in the sunlight.

"You have a habit of showing up when no one wants you, Jareth."

Froud winced at her words, but Jareth laughed.

"Oh, believe me Sarah, you need me. For behind three of these doors is certain death, and only one allows you to pass on into the third ring of the Labyrinth."

"Great," Sarah teased, "More riddles. And what are the rules, then?"

Jareth's face grew cloudy as she taunted him.

"Three of the inscriptions are false, and one is true. If you get it wrong, you die."

Sarah huffed mainly out of fear.

"I thought you wanted to 'destroy me', not kill me."

Jareth had expected this response, and stared intently at her reaction as he spoke.

"You foolish girl, I _know_ you. You will not go through a door until you are certain you are right. You will be stuck here for hours, and then you shall lose. Then you will be mine."

Sarah pursed her lips. _Damn it. He's got me there_. As if Jareth could hear her thoughts, he cackled loudly and walked between them, approaching the doors.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have a rather special event to prepare for." Suddenly, his ears, hair and eyes seemed to prick up, as if he had heard something far off. A sinister expression flashed across his face and a harsh smile ripped his lips apart. "Yes, it will prove to be very special indeed."

And with a turn he was gone, but the sound of him uttering _Round Four_ remained.

Antagonised and filled with dread, Sarah grabbed a stick from the ground nearby and began to clumsily plan in the sandy ground. Froud started to wobble.

"Sarah, I d-d-don't know how to do it-

"Well, I do. At least I think I do. I just don't know how much time it will take."

* * *

**AN: This Is quite brief, I know, but blame the cliff hanger and not me…!**


	11. Chapter 11

**XI – Gilding the Lily**

Lily had been panicking for several hours, reading every medieval book she could lay her hands on in her bedroom. She found a book of medieval mythology, a book on fairies and another on folklore, but nothing had anything about the Labyrinth. She was hoping that any minute Sarah would breeze through the door and everything would be okay, back to normal, but nothing happened. The little red book was gone, Sarah was gone and the little note Jareth had left burned a hole in Lily's pocket. She read it so many times just to make sure it was still there, still real. Eventually she descended onto her bed in a fit of hysterics and cried loudly, "How do I get there?"

Then a surge of inspiration caused her to sit up quickly and demand in a clear, deep voice, "I wish the goblins would come and take me away. Right now!"

Jareth's ears pricked. His eyes gloomed. Lily was gone.

She was swirling in a sea of glimmering bubbles that looked like they were made of glass. She felt weightless, like she was a feather, but still she fell slowly and steadily. Lily eventually landed in a heap on a pile of gorgeous silk cushions. Looking around her, she gasped and took in the cold, crystal air.

She was in a pure white room that was like a ball room contained in a marquee. There were grand chandeliers and spectacular stairs, and everyone around her swayed to an enthralling tune. No one spoke or stopped dancing, but through the crowd Lily saw a solitary figure stride towards her, dressed in blue. He was ghostly and enchanting, almost translucent, and when he reached her he took Lily in his arms and began to swirl her onto the dance floor. It was in this moment that Lily caught sight of her reflection in one of the many floating mirrors and saw that she was no longer in her comfy jeans, but in an elegant white ball gown that was decorated with many crystals and diamonds. Against her pale skin and blond hair it made her look positively angelic, and she was muddled by this new vision of herself.

The mysterious man glided with Lily across the floor and murmured the words to the song seductively in her ear. Lily wanted the dance to last forever. The man lent in to kiss his partner, exposing his chest and revealing a magnificent pendant that radiated its own light. Then, without warning, she saw a girl's face reflected in one of the hovering mirrors. She had dark hair, red lips and a worried expression, as if she was trying to solve something unsolvable. Lily felt her entire being pull her away from her partner and dash towards the mirror. She felt as though she was running in slow motion. Every dancer around her stopped and began to shriek at her like banshees as she ran helplessly to the mirror, which kept evading her grasp. She turned and ran straight into the arms of her mysterious partner, who, with gloved hands, ran his fingers down over her eyelids. She fell under his spell.

Lily awoke to the sounds of rough language and instructions being barked around. Her eyes felt heavy and refused to open, until a pail of water was chucked over her face.

"Hey! Watch it!"

A small, hideous woman replied. Lily thought she looked almost human, but then not human at all. _A goblin. Oh my god_.

"You watch it! You should be workin' like the rest o'us! Get up off there and get ready, we're performin' soon and you've got an act to prepare!"

Lily rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked down. She appeared to be wearing a circus outfit, a tight red and black body suit that looked like a jester's clothes. An ominous whip was tucked into her belt. _I'm a lion tamer?_ All around her was the hustle and bustle of a circus dangerously behind schedule. The ugly woman cried out, "Come on you lot, we got to put on a show for the king! And he won't be happy unless it's perfect!" All the performers except Lily were goblins; some were small and pathetic, others massive and impressive. Some juggled, some breathed fire, and one even contorted itself into a barrel. Lily shuddered at the scene but somehow felt it was where she belonged. In fact, she hardly knew who she was. _I feel funny…I don't remember being a lion tamer, but then…what do I remember?_

A small goblin approached Lily and offered her a peach. Nothing struck her as odd and the fruit run off no alarm bells, so she smiled, thanked him and took a large bite out of the peace. As the juices ran into her throat, so did malice soak into her gaze. She threw the peach at an unsuspecting goblin and yelled, "Runt! Stay out of my way!" Lily then proceeded to stride into the circus tent beside her and seek out her lion. She had a show to prepare for.

Jareth watched Lily from his throne, a crystal balanced casually in his hand. He purred gently, "_Look Sarah, I have your friend. She's mine now. All you need to do now is eat those berries, and you'll wish you'd given in to begin with. Soon, I shall own everything you care about._" Jareth laughed loudly and stretched up his arms in victory, the crystal shattering on the ground. All the goblins around him jumped a few inches off the ground and a haze of chatter ensued.

"Quiet! We have a show to put on!"

The room fell silent.

* * *

**AN: So know you know why Jareth shot off in the previous chapter! The chapters are becoming a bit shorter and a bit more episodic, which I hope won't put readers off. Things are beginning to pick up towards the thirteenth hour.**


	12. Chapter 12

**XII – Seven Hours Left**

"Look Froud, if that were the case then door 3 would lead us to certain death. We're going in circles."

Froud's face filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry Sarah, I'm no good at this."

Sarah softened at his tone but still focussed on the problem at hand.

"Hypothetically, if door four was telling the truth and it wasn't behind it, then that would make the statements on all the other doors false, which doesn't work because then which one would be the way? But if door four is the right way, then three is also lying, and so door one is lying, so it must be the second door that is telling the truth, right?"

Froud moaned. "What?"

"Look at my notes…"

In the sand, Sarah had written the following.

_If the way is behind door 1, then both 2 and 4 are true, and 1 and 3 are lying._

_If the way is behind door 2, then both 1 and 4 are true, and 2 and 3 are lying._

_If the way is behind door 3, then 1, 3, and 4 are all true, so only 2 lies._

_If the way is behind Door 4, then all other doors are lying apart from 2, which means 2 is true. Fits rules!_

"It's just got to be four! Three doors are lying, but door two is true!"

Froud still had no idea what she was talking about, but even before she could comment Sarah had leapt up and banged the copper knocker on door four several times. He whimpered as the door opened and let in the smell of a dank, misty forest. Sarah squealed with relief as she recognised the woodland, the place that she had lost Ludo and found the Fierys.

"Froud, it's okay, I did it!"

Froud had joined her side and was standing close behind her. He let out a huge breath of previously-held air. "I'm glad that's over; those doors were never there before."

"I know, there were only the knockers last time. I guess Jareth keeps changing everything to make it harder." The pair started walking through the dense undergrowth and Sarah took Froud's hand to keep both of them steady. The woodland around them smelt otherworldly, the way Sarah imagined the underworld to smell in _Sir Orfeo_. Everything looked as if it was covered in a layer of shimmering glitter, like it was wet with magic. Underfoot it was rocky and moist with fallen leaves; autumn was just arriving in the Labyrinth. It reminded Sarah of autumn at home, and she sighed with the realisation that she might never go home again. Her burn began to throb as the temperature fell colder, and Sarah looked down at her pitiful state. "I feel like a rag doll. I used to have one my mother gave me, called Daisy, and I took her everywhere. I got food on her, ripped her arm so many times, and even burnt her on the stove once! She was a mess by the end of it, so my Dad put her in the attic. To be honest I think he just threw her away."

Froud frowned and his eyes stayed off Sarah.

"What is it?"

"Was your mother nice?"

Sarah's face fell and she stared at Hoggle's bracelet in distraction, watching the light refract in the plastic.

"How did you know?"

"I heard it somewhere…"

"She, well…she was nice sometimes. When she was getting me dolls and things. I never saw her much when she was on the road acting; Dad pretty much raised me himself. I used to love when she came home with a new costume to try on, but I don't think she cared much for me. I was _her_ little doll." Sarah suddenly saw her childhood with a fresh eye. "She left me and my Dad, and we were crushed. Mothers aren't supposed to be like that, you know. Mothers are always dead in fairy stories and wicked stepmothers take over; natural mothers aren't supposed to let you down."

They walked under the leafy curtain of a willow tree and the branches tickled their faces.

"I never knew my mother, but I never want to. If she was cruel enough to wish me away then I'm better off here."

Sarah smiled sadly at Froud.

"You are better without her. She is the unlucky one, never meeting you. You don't need her, Froud, your parents here did just fine. But believe me: _no one_ is better off here."

Froud returned the smile.

"Thanks Sarah."

He tightened his grip on her hand and took the lead, recognising the landmarks and sniffing out the way.

As time pressed on Sarah and Froud grew extremely hungry; so hungry that their stomachs growled in unison. They managed to find a few scattered apples and seeds, but it was not satisfying enough. The sound of running water temporarily distracted them though; further up ahead was an idyllic brook expelling water in a constant babble. Froud washed his mane and scooped the cool liquid into his mouth, while Sarah sat beside the creek and washed the cuts on her arms. Then, as Sarah leant over to wash her face, the holly fell from her pocket and bobbed on top of the water.

"Hey Froud! I forgot about these, want some? I bet we could eat them."

Froud's brow tightened.

"Aren't they inedible?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm too hungry to care!" Sarah became most unlike herself and began to pop the berries into her mouth ravenously, only allowing Froud a few. Froud growled as she raced ahead of him, nearly clawing her off them. They were in a frenzy, and did not stop until the holly was bare.

That was when the sickness hit. Sarah looked down at her veins and could see them turning red beneath her skin, as if the berry juice was permeating her blood stream. Her vision blurred and she tumbled into the brook. Before she lost consciousness, she could have sworn that this was what drowning felt like. The last thing she heard was a silky voice whisper _Round Five_.

* * *

**AN: I told myself I wouldn't upload tonight, and then I saw that a girl I assumed I had nothing in common with had uploaded a picture of the ballroom scene to her blog and I instantly wanted to edit this chapter and put it up. I am very excited about the next one and it's been sitting on my desktop for weeks! I am uploading a lot right now because I have gone to stay at my parents for two weeks before returning for a postgrad course, so I fill my evenings with writing this and other pieces. I feel I want to mention that Lily was never an afterthought – I've been planning her reappearance from the start, and I promise she is here for a reason. All will become clear soon enough. Also, the riddle was told to me when I was young and I could never do it!**


	13. Chapter 13

**XIII - Six Hours Left**

When Sarah opened her eyes three things dawned on her: one, she was alone and Froud was nowhere to be seen. Two, she was in the Junkyard and the sky had grown dark. Three, she could hear eerie music emanating from somewhere behind her. _Oh no, how much time has passed?_ Sarah clutched her heavy head and stood up, her legs wobbling with misplaced vertigo. In amongst the chaotic rubble that surrounded her she saw a large piece of broken glass, in which Sarah saw her reflection and was shocked to find it had changed. She was in a long dress made of deep red velvet that was so dark it was almost black. It gathered at the waist and the bodice was embroidered with gold flowers and vines that ran up the material, left the dress and weaved down her bare arms until they stopped growing at her wrists. Her hair was wild and swept over one shoulder, and vivid red lipstick clung to her lips. Sarah felt both curiosity and fear at her appearance, nauseously wondering why Jareth had put her in these clothes. She became even more disgruntled when she reached for her wrist and found that Hoggle's bracelet was gone. Her attention then switched to seeking out the source of noise, in case it led her to Froud. In the near distance she saw a camp with a huge red and black striped tent in the centre, surrounded by muted lights and an ominous mist. _I've seen that tent before_…Sarah decided to walk towards it, although the rational part of her brain screamed at her to run. Unfortunately for her rational side, Sarah's childhood curiosity was running a mock and refused to be silenced again. She quickened her pace, lifting her skirts and carefully navigating the junk in her gold shoes.

As she approached Sarah smelled bonfires, goblins and, well, junk. Scattered everywhere were goblins of all shapes and sizes bustling to get into the tent, along with Fierys, large spiders that made Sarah's skin itch just seeing them, and even chickens queued up. She nervously accosted a small goblin and tapped it on the shoulder. It jumped a full turn and widened its eyes menacingly.

"WHA?"

"Oh, sorry; I just wondered what was going on."

The goblin wiped its nose along the length of its arm.

"Big show! CIRCUS!" And with that, he ducked under a tall goblin and dashed into the tent.

Sarah pulled back, gripping her hands anxiously and deciding to enter once the crowd had died down. The tent seemed to glow of its own accord, and reminded her desperately of the first night Jareth had tried to reacquaint himself with Sarah. There was something compelling, though, about the music that made Sarah have to know what was inside, so when the crowd had virtually gone Sarah snuck through the curtain, hoping to blend in. Her wish was not granted.

As Sarah appeared she was met by the sight of a gigantic circus, with a sinister crowd of the Labyrinth's inhabitants looming down at her. In front of her was a corridor of what appeared to be humans breathing fire in an impressive arch. _I've seen something like this before_… Each fire-breather wore a grotesque goblin mask and appeared to be under spell; Sarah swallowed as she realised that they were probably humans that had previously failed the Labyrinth. As she walked uncomfortably through the arch the crowd jeered at Sarah and spewed incessant nonsense down into the ring. She arrived at the centre of the stage, and before she could protest a giant glass bubble formed around her like a prison. It yanked her several feet from the ground, and she stumbled into a heap at the bottom of it with dizziness.

"Let the show commence!" someone cried, and from all directions humans dressed in glittery black leotards and goblin masks swung above her on trapezes. A particularly fragile looking female walked the tightrope, often standing on her hands and balancing spectacularly. Three goblins below her did gymnastics on the backs of horses that circled the ring, and a woman in the centre of the ring contorted herself into the most bizarre positions imaginable. Other women in skimpy outfits pranced around the edge of the ring and entertained the audience, snakes wrapped around her arms. In all the commotion, Sarah felt like she might pass out.

Then Sarah's heart stopped. Lily appeared in a flash below the bubble dressed in strange attire, as if she was part of the show. "Lily!" Sarah cried, but it was futile; the bubble muted her voice but let the sounds of the circus seep in. Lily looked all wrong: her hair was huge and rigid as if held in place by a spell; her eyes were hysterically wide and glowed red; her movements were not those of an innocent girl but a seductive woman, and she loved the attention she was getting. Lily bowed to the audience and then pointed a whip towards the curtain, from behind which several small goblins pushed a cage into the ring. Sarah's eyes welled up as she saw who was in the cage. "_Oh,_ _Froud_…_no._" She pushed her hands up against the glass.

Froud was trapped in the cage and sat in a hopeless bundle, cowering and moaning loudly, which only made the audience jeer more. People threw shoes, bits of rubbish and even items of cutlery at the cage as Lily laughed menacingly. Froud's pen opened and the goblins tipped him out onto the floor. Sarah cried and bashed her hands up against the bubble, but to no avail. Lily began to whip Froud, instructing him to sit, beg, play dead and even dance for her. It was humiliating to watch, which was all Sarah could do. She agitatedly searched the audience for someone that might help her, but saw no one. As Lily finally managed to get a weeping Froud to roar to the audience as she put a leash on him, the acrobats and all the performers ominously moved to the edge of the ring, and Froud was forced to join them.

Sarah's confusion was cut short as the bubble around her popped. She fell to the floor and landed ungracefully, her legs buckling beneath her. The tent had grown dim, the fires almost extinguished, and from behind the grand curtain appeared the Goblin King.

He wore a black and maroon mask that bore horns and dark crystals, and his hair stood tall to reveal black shimmering colour at the roots. Sarah could see his mismatched eyes pouring out from behind the mask. He was dressed in a crushed red velvet shirt that was covered with a black armour body piece, and his midnight boots made him a good few inches taller than Sarah. His breastplate bore the strange pendant charm that emitted strange feelings, making Sarah feel wholly forlorn. She remained on the floor, terrified by Jareth and watching in fear as his gloved hands forged several crystals, which he began to toss between his hands and juggle in a way that was not humanly possible. The crowd whispered seductively and the performers around the edge of the stage had begun to march with Lily, who was forcing Froud at the head of the pack. A goblin rhythmically hit a drum to signal their march.

Sarah watched the juggling with curiosity until she found she could no longer draw her gaze away. She was mesmerised by the glass and almost involuntarily she rose and began to approach Jareth. He never took his eyes off her, and when she stood before him he began to swirl the crystals even more devastatingly until she was completely under his spell. One by one each crystal disappeared, and then Jareth took Sarah's hand and swung her into a dance, his eyes still piercing hers. Sarah felt disorientated and lost, completely oblivious as to what she was supposed to be doing; all she could focus on was the feel of Jareth's hands in the nape of her back and on her hand. The crowd continued to chant and music began to permeate the circus, drowning Sarah in the melody. She felt terrified, but as if she wanted to dance forever; nearly every particle in her body wanted Jareth. However, something managed to distract her from her dancing partner. In the crowd she saw a woman dressed head to toe in gold; even her hair and skin were gold. _Where have I seen her before?_ The woman looked fearful and upset, widening her eyes when Sarah's met them. She shook her head, and suddenly Sarah recognised her. She had been in the ballroom all those years ago, when Jareth had given her the peach.

The peach. The ballroom. Toby.

Whilst Sarah had been experiencing an epiphany, Jareth had freed his right hand and had teased Sarah's face closer to his, moving his lips towards hers. _One kiss_, he thought_, and she will forget everything_. When their lips were nearly touching, Jareth sharply experienced the slam of Sarah's hand across his cheek. He staggered, giving Sarah a chance to twist out of his clutches and escape. She lunged for the exit but the performers of the circus still patrolled and refused her freedom. Jareth by now had recovered and was gaining ground on Sarah. He began to form crystals angrily and hurl them at her; they shattered on impact. Sarah dodged a few and continued to run around the edge in attempt to escape, but several crystals met her skin and bruised her arms. Fierys cried from the crowd, "Take off her head! Take off her ears! She don't need two arms!"

There seemed no way out, and Sarah could not even see the gold woman anymore. Sarah tripped on a loose rope left over from Froud's taming and as a crystal hit her square in the chest she fell backwards onto the floor and watched helplessly as Jareth rushed towards her, teeth bared. Just as she was about to give up hope and suffer at the hands of Jareth, a violent explosion went off behind her, causing the audience to scatter and the performers to make for the exit. Jareth was thus caught in a tide of goblins that knocked him off his feet and out of Sarah's way. From the blazing hole in the circus tent walked two figures that looked like silhouettes against the burning tent. In front of the gold woman stood Hoggle, who was holding a sword in his right hand.

"Quick!" they both cried, "This way!"

Sarah did not need telling twice. She ran for it, throwing around a final look for Froud, but she could not see him or Lily.

"We'll save your friends later, _there is no time now_!" the gold woman urged.

They ran from the flaming tent and the crowd of chaotic goblins, darting towards a door embedded in the junk that lead to an underground tunnel.

Jareth, meanwhile, growled low in his throat before roaring loudly and startling the nearby goblins. He kicked passers-by as he left towards the ripped hole, but when he reached the Junkyard Sarah was already well out of sight. The only thing left of her was a large handprint ingrained on Jareth's cheek.

* * *

**AN: I have watched the ballroom scene intently since I was six years old, and it was only this year that I realised that on a few occasions for a split second there is a woman painted totally gold serving drinks. So much effort went into that film - I just had to include her! This was my favourite chapter to write, and I hope I did the circus justice. Okay, so the rescue was a tad melodramatic, but I'm sure you know me well enough by now to expect melodrama…I have recently started a teaching course, so the uploading might be a bit thin on the ground this month!**


	14. Chapter 14

**XIV - Four Hours Left**

The golden woman and Hoggle immediately bundled Sarah into an underground tunnel before rushing through seemingly endless dark walkways and finally bursting into a small underground lair. As they ran, the sounds of screaming and the trample of feet were absorbed into the quiet of the underground track. Once in the enclosure, they sat down and expelled a sigh of relief. All of their hearts pounded in unison.

Sarah was too distressed from the incident to talk, so she took a moment to take in her surroundings. They appeared to be in a relatively large oubliette that was lined with old shelves. Some held crockery and dusty cups, others browning books and papers. There was a fireplace in one corner that obviously let its smoke out above ground, and on the floor were three stools around an old wooden table that held tarnished metal plates. Pots, pans, a side of meat and strings of onions hung from the ceiling. Sarah's eyes finally rested on Hoggle, and she was so overcome with emotion that she stooped to the floor and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his grisly neck.

"Don't worry Sarah, ya safe here." Hoggle smiled broadly as Sarah embraced her dear friend and cried tears of exhaustion. "Oh come on, don't ya cry all over me. Let us look at ye."

He looked at Sarah and saw a young woman plastered with cuts, bruises, burns and shards of broken crystal, dressed in Jareth's sick idea of finery and with whorish red lipstick covering her sad lips. Hoggle could not supress his rage as he turned to the mysterious woman and yelled, "It's this kinda rubbish that has te stop! He can't go on treatin' us all like dirt! We've gotta do somethin'! We've been 'ere too long!"

The woman nodded miserably as the trio slumped into the stools, as if she had nothing to say that she had not already said to Hoggle before. Sarah could bare the suspense no longer and fidgeted in her seat.

"Who are you, please?" she asked the woman rudely, who treated the whole situation with an air of melancholy and hopelessness. She sighed and replied.

"I am Labrynthe, the Keeper of the Source."

Sarah's brow furrowed.

"_What_? You're going to have to give me some kind of context. Sorry."

Labrynthe raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by who people had termed the 'Champion of the Labyrinth'. She swept back her ethereal locks and prepared herself for the explanation she had been expecting.

"In short, I am the chief servant of the King and Queen of the Realm of the Faes. It is my duty to watch Jareth for them and to report back concerning the nature of his rule. I also must monitor the Source, where all of Jareth's magic power originates from."

Sarah interrupted. "What's the Source? And where is it?"

Labrynthe did not appreciate being interrupted; there was something about Sarah that made her uneasy.

"It is hard to describe, but I will try. In the center of the castle there is a room below the Room of No Direction – the one with all the stairs – which houses a large black marble sphere. Inside, the Source is contained. All I can tell you properly is that the pendant is the key to its power, and since Jareth received it at his coronation he has been in full control of everything."

While Labrynthe caught her breath Sarah asked, "So, it's like a massive source of power that Jareth had access to?"

"Yes."

Sarah's head jumbled with all the questions it contained.

"So…what are you doing here?"

Labrynthe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear awkwardly.

"I am here because…I ran away. I know I am a fae and that I have a duty to my monarchy, but I grew tired of working for monsters. I have been in exile with Hoggle for months now; Jareth banished Hoggle after your last visit, and ever since Hoggle has been living here secretly, plotting Jareth's downfall – I do not thing the Goblin King takes our threat seriously, otherwise he would have made a move by now. We're just pawns to his majesty. I joined Hoggle to help a while back, but we cannot get close enough to Jareth without him knowing. We need you."

All this information forced Sarah's brain into deadlock.

"Now I don't understand, what can I do?"

"You must have noticed Jareth's pendant. He never takes it off. It is directly linked with the Source, like a transmitter, so if we took it from him and wore it we would have all his power."

"And I suppose you want me to get it." Sarah replied decisively and emotionlessly. Hoggle began to shuffle uncomfortably.

"I think t'e plan stinks! I don't want ye goin' in there unless ye want to. I ain't gunna make you, but it might be the only chance te rescue ye friends."

_Lily…Froud…_

Sarah nodded. "I'll do it, whatever it takes. But how do I do it?"

Everyone fell silent, so silent that Sarah could hear a rat move somewhere in the corner of the room. After everyone in the party had processed what Sarah was willing to do, Labrynthe finally spoke.

"There is one thing I must have cleared up. It is the question on the lips of everyone in the Labyrinth: why did Jareth bring you here, Sarah? Or did you come here of your own accord again?"

Hoggle's ears pricked; he had been dying to ask. Sarah twisted her hands.

"When I asked Jareth why he wanted me back here, he said it was to 'destroy me', whatever that means. I assumed it was because I beat and embarrassed him, but now I'm not so sure." Sarah shuddered. "It's like he wants to own me, or kill me, or," here Sarah swallowed involuntarily, "Worse. I know, right? What's worse than death? Believe me, I've considered it whilst being here. If he had wanted to kill me he'd have done it a long time ago. I can only assume he wants to torment me to the final hour, and then keep me here," Sarah shuddered again, "As his slave." Tears formed in the corner of her eyes, but she stubbornly wiped them away. "_Why me_? I only did what any sister would do, and now I'm being punished over all the other people who ran the Labyrinth. It's not fair," she mumbled.

Hoggle was meanwhile casting his mind back to Sarah's first visit, and remembered his words. _The Cleaners, the Bog of Stench. You sure got his attention! _She always had. Whatever Jareth did, it always came back to Sarah Williams. She was the crux of his life.

"If ye ask me, Jareth's always paid you too much attention. He's obsessed with ye. Whatever ye did, he won't stop until he consumes ye."

Labrynthe surveyed Sarah's boldness and all the initial repulsion she had felt for Sarah evaporated away. She spoke maternally.

"Just look at you. You're a battered mess, he's literally ripping you apart; he wants you to arrive at the castle begging for mercy."

"_But what can I do_?"

Labrynthe became more animated and took Sarah's shoulders.

"You need to get there with minutes to spare and pretend to lose; let him think he has won, and put on the performance of your life. Tell him you concede defeat and will let him rule you, then get close to him and steal it the pendant. And we can be waiting for you outside; he'll be so busy focussing on you that if we keep our distance from you he'll never see us."

_I could save Lily and Froud…I could save everyone…I could save myself_.

Hoggle grumbled but Sarah leapt out of her stool in triumph with new found hope.

"Hoggle, I've got to try! My friends are somewhere in the castle, I bet, and I have to save them and myself, and all of you too."

Hoggle threw his hands up in defeat.

"Alright, but I don't promise nothin'. This could be a suicide mission."

Sarah swallowed her fear. "I've got nothing to lose anymore. He's taken everything I care about, and he nearly took my life away from me. I need to do this; what else can we do?"

Labrynthe rose and embraced Sarah.

"We will all be eternally grateful to you. With Jareth powerless, you can do whatever is necessary to banish him."

Sarah contemplated a Jareth-free Labyrinth; it did not seem real. Labrynthe shared these sentiments.

"I almost cannot believe it. The idea of finally defeating Jareth is what we have been plotting for so long now. I wonder what his parents will do?"

"I don't want to think about that now. Anyway, if they are as contemptible as I hear I'm sure they won't notice what has happened, let alone care about it...okay, well I suppose I had better get going. Where do I go from here?"

"When ye get into t'e Junk Yard ye'll see t'e city. You'll know the way, and we won't be far be'ind. We've got ye back."

Sarah wondered if they had a spare pair of clothes but thought that women's clothes would be the last thing Hoggle would stock up on, so she held her tongue. _Stupid dress it is._

All the way back through the tunnels Sarah planned how she would act in front of Jareth. _I'll be defiant at first, demanding my friends back, and when he no doubt throws in a curve ball I'll fall down and beg for mercy, really hamming it up. I'll look the part in this stupid dress, all damsel-like and pathetic. Then I'll get close to him and snatch the pendant. It has to work…_

Outside the sky was dark and Sarah could see the illuminated Goblin City in the distance. It looked like a Medieval New York skyline; the turrets of the castle and the high walls of the city were covered with beacons of light as if to beckon Sarah in. Mentally she began to count her steps, trying to figure out how long she had left. She picked up her pace to a fast walk, but her dress weighed her down. Within a few hundred meters she was sweating and breathing heavily, so she stopped for a moment and heard Hoggle and Labrynthe stop several feet back. The sound reassured Sarah and spurred her on out of embarrassment. The junk grew higher, but the city became closer. Sarah could almost hear the goblins. She went to twist Hoggle's bracelet, but her clammy fingers did not find it.

* * *

**AN: Another update – they seem to happen in waves. I haven't got much to say about this chapter, other than I hope you're excited for the show down!**


	15. Chapter 15

**XV - The Price**

Had Sarah been close to the castle's entrance, she would have heard the terrible shrieks coming from the throne room that echoed around the stone enclosure. She would have raced up the steep stairs, into the chamber and found Froud and Lily chained to the wall. She would have come face to face with the Goblin King in full evil swing, and she would have raged.

Sarah, however, was hours away and perspiring almost as much as the prisoners. Lily had awoken from her spell when Hoggle had let off the explosives and was currently trying to convince herself to wake up from the most tangible dream she had ever had. She stood morosely in her circus attire and felt peculiarly exposed in the tight clothing, as if everyone could see straight into her head. Froud was weak and had gone beyond the stage of shaking; instead he stood stoically, accepting his fate whilst simultaneously praying that Sarah would save him. He did not think much of the girl next to him, since red hot stripes has risen from his skin and begun to bruise from her cruelty. Lily could barely look at him, and tilted her head away in shame.

Jareth grinned perversely, enjoying the spectacle. He was parading up and down the throne room and allowing his goblins to toss old scraps, small stones and even chickens at the captives, laughing every time an egg exploded inches from Froud's face.

"I am terribly sorry, where are my manners? I have not even offered my guests a drink."

Jareth decanted some liquid from a nearby barrel into a goblet and sauntered over to a very thirsty Froud, holding the receptacle in front of his mouth. Froud continued to stare into oblivion in protest, so Jareth let out a 'hmph' and proceeded to tip the contents of the cup over Froud's mane. The goblins had never seen anything so funny, and Jareth joined in the laughter while Lily finally looked at Froud and tried to apologise with her eyes.

The Goblin King then tossed the cup over his shoulder (an ill-timed passing goblin let out a squeak) and paused in front of Lily, who tried to avoid his gaze but could not help returning to his awful glare.

"A little bored, are we?" Jareth tilted her head up towards hers and locked her gaze with his. Moments later, Lily emitted a horrific shriek and started to wildly thrash around as if she was covered in spiders – which in her mind's eye, she was. Jareth had used his special blend of psychological warfare mixed with basic human fear to break Lily. After an adequate amount of time had elapsed, Jareth clicked his fingers and Lily was freed. She stood in shock, shaking uncontrollably and nearly choking on her own fear.

"I hope Sarah takes her time; you see, I am having such a wonderful time." Jareth beamed heartlessly and continued. "And even if she does make it in time," Jareth stared off out of his large viewing window across the Labyrinth, "She will have one final decision to make." He began to cackle loudly, his deep laugh reverberating around the cell, and stared knowingly at the sorry pair, who knew full well what cruel choice Jareth had set up. They were his ultimate bargaining tool.

* * *

**AN: I am feeling more and more anxious as I get near to the showdown – I am so thankful for the lovely reviews I have been getting.**


	16. Chapter 16

**XVI - One hour left**

Sarah had made good progress and the Goblin City walls came ever closer. Sweat trickled down her forehead and matted her hair more, but nothing would make her stop again. Rage churned her stomach and fear mixed the pot further; Sarah could not banish the thought of her own mortality from her mind. Soon, she would face Jareth and she would have to win – if anything went wrong, she would undoubtedly die.

However, Sarah believed she still had one thing that would help her win. She had experienced a moment of clarity while walking in amongst all the junk. Whilst considering why Jareth would want such a mess surrounding his Goblin City, Sarah also contemplated the nature of what Jareth wanted in general. All the attention Sarah had received from Jareth, all the strange advances and all the bizarre offers led her to conclude that Jareth wanted _her_. Somewhere in his cruel inner workings was a desire that conflicted with his plot for revenge; she was sure of it. Although she felt embarrassed entertaining the thought, it was undeniable that Jareth harboured some strange emotions for Sarah, and she knew that if she played her cards right, she could bluff him into losing. The thought of having to use her unpractised wiles on Jareth was abhorrent to her, and it raised an army of goose bumps from her arms.

Sarah finally approached the oversized and oppressive gates to the Goblin City. They were left unguarded, mockingly, as if everyone doubted her as a threat. Sarah defiantly forced the door open and crept into the open street. It was dark, shadowy and empty, but in the centre of the city Sarah could see that the castle was buzzing with life. A familiar scream cut through the night sky like a blade and cut into Sarah's composure. "_LILY!"_ she cried, starting to dash through the streets like a wild animal, recklessly throwing herself down passages and by houses towards the castle.

* * *

A gloved finger pushed a rook across the glass board.

* * *

Sarah could see the castle and it made her somewhat hysterical – she still had just under half an hour left, so she had plenty of time to save Lily and Froud. As she paced towards the castle stairs, the ground began to rumble beneath her like an earthquake. Sarah had never felt the ground move, so it filled her with a sense of foreboding and caused her to retreat until she backed up against a stone fountain that she recognised from the last battle she had fought in the city. The rumbling stopped momentarily, then came back even stronger and made Sarah's legs vibrate as if affected by strong bass. Panic spreading across her face, Sarah realised why the ground shook. Two exceptionally tall and disturbing castle towers complete with turrets had detached themselves from Jareth's palace. They had once been a part of the castle but only for appearances; they were weapons, not part of the structure. The towers exuded a bitter miasma from their ice-like bricks, and the floor around them froze as if to afford them better travel. From either side of Sarah the towers swept towards her as if they were chess pieces being slid into place. Sarah, almost frozen with fear let alone the temperature, knew she had to escape. The towers advanced and she ran away from the castle, tearing through the Goblin City, her running punctuated with quick glances behind her. The towers were freezing the whole of the city and the beacons atop the walls were going out. Where ever Sarah ran, the lights went out. Darkness and cold enveloped the city and soon Sarah could only guess where the towers were by listening out for their menacing scrape along the streets.

The castle was still ablaze with light and was unexpectedly closer than she had anticipated, but the glow did not extend far into the city; the light hung around the castle like a fog. Sarah hid in a doorway and breathed quietly on her hands in an attempt to banish the chill, but nothing could warm her. _No wonder everyone is in the castle…_Not willing to waste anymore time, Sarah ran out into an opening only to discover that the towers were either side of her again. The only way out was straight ahead through an archway, unless she wanted to be crushed in between the icy pillars. She ran for it, but soon was blocked off by a low wall, below which was a river that ran through the lower parts of the city. The water seemed to Sarah a fate only marginally better than being crushed, so her heart swelled, her lungs filled, and her legs forced her over the edge.

The plan had been to swim to safety, but as soon as Sarah had plunged into the wintry water a thin sheet of ice began to form over her head. By the time Sarah had reached the surface the ice was thick and impenetrable, and she tried urgently not to scream. Soon enough she realised that the ice spanned the length of the gloomy river and she had no escape. Sarah banged her fists against the glass ceiling almost as if she was in slow motion. _This is it. This is how I die. Oh Lily! Froud! Dad! Toby! I was so close! It's not fair! I can't die like this, I'm so cold._ Finally, Sarah screamed louder than she ever had and all the fear that had flooded within her in the past thirteen hours gushed out as she let go of her life. Water entered her lungs like her throat was a broken dam, and then Sarah lost consciousness.

* * *

The goblins that littered the throne room cheered as they saw from the window that Sarah had been lost beneath the ice, but Jareth's heart began to race and feel as if it would explode. From his viewpoint, Jareth could see two shadows; a small man bombarding his towers with fire crackers and blazing bombs, and a golden woman smashing the ice on the river and diving in fearlessly, before surfacing with another shadow and dragging it over the low wall. He did nothing to stop them. He had wanted to slow Sarah down, not kill her. He wanted his showdown. He wanted her.

* * *

"Sarah! Don't you dare leave us now! We need you! _We all need you_!" Labrynthe desperately tried to resuscitate Sarah, but no breath came from Sarah's lips. Tears fell freely down Hoggle's cheeks as Labrynthe forced a final gasp of air into Sarah's still ruby mouth, and her sudden splutters made the pair jump back with shock. "_Sarah!_"

Soaking wet, shivering and half-dead, Sarah choked and heaved water onto the ground beside her, rolling onto her front shamelessly and retching until she was able to inhale a huge gulp of air. Hoggle and Labrynthe soothed Sarah and wrapped Labrynthe's cloak around her, but Sarah tried to get up and brushed them off.

"Sarah, ye'r hurt. We can't send ye in there like this!"

Sarah spoke in an injured, tragic voice. "I can't- I've got- Lily and Froud- _get off me! I've got no choice!_"

Through the gloom of the city, a deep and profound bell began to toll the seconds of the final minute of Sarah's hours. Sarah pulled herself away from her friends and struggled to her feet, then struggled to the castle, yelling back, "_Stay behind me_!" Hoggle and Labrynthe could only obey, and watch in amazement as the girl that promised to save their lives stumbled to what could be her impending death.

* * *

**AN: It's finally here – the showdown. I am pretty emotional about it, since I've been building to it for so long. Expect an upload soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

**XVII - Thirteen o'clock**

The clock bellowed around the castle walls as if it were a tolling bell counting the number of heart beats Sarah had left.

_Will he kill me? Has it been leading up to my death?_ _Will I even get the chance to get near him? Is Lily still alive? Is Froud still alive?_

Nothing could prepare her anymore; she had come further than anyone ever had, and she still had to face the biggest challenge of her life – taking on Jareth again. Before, when she had last been in a showdown with the Goblin King, he had been too soft. It had been easy. Now he was more of a monster than he was before and could kill her before she could utter the first syllable of her 'right words'. The staircase to the throne room felt longer and steeper than the last time, but still Sarah ran on in her heavy dress, which, now wet, clung to her sore skin and weighed her down further. She played back what she would say over and over again in her head until the words became a fluffy mess. Finally, when the last turn of the staircase came into view, her heart sank in her chest. The murmur of goblins and magic haunted the air, but no longer came from the throne room; Sarah felt as though the goblins were in the walls. She paused, composed herself, and then walked through the doorway.

The Goblin King stood regally in front of his massive and elaborate throne; he was alone, having sent the goblins away. He wore a leather waistcoat over a white shirt with intricately embroidered sleeves, from under which poked the crucial pendant. His pale grey leggings went into his high black boots, and a long dark cape flowed down his back like liquid. For the first time before Sarah he wore no gloves, and although it should have made him seem vulnerable it only made him even more menacing to Sarah.

Jareth had been expecting her; he had sensed the human presence beyond Lily and could smell it in the air. When Sarah appeared in the doorway she looked like a broken doll – once perfect, now ratty and dishevelled. Her hair was wild from running and her scalp was lined with sweat, as were her arms and washed out face. Cuts, bruises, burns, scrapes and dust decorated her skin whilst shards of crystal poked from her velvet dress. The golden vines down her arms had rubbed her wet skin cruelly. A superior, proud smile crept across Jareth's face. He knew he had won. It was a miracle she was still standing.

"Sarah Williams. You made it."

_Come on now, Sarah, don't let him guess your plan._

"And in the nick of time." The clock rang out its thirteenth toll and Sarah grinned pseudo-confidently. Her throat was burning.

"Yes. I suppose you are."

Jareth was speaking in short bursts as if supressing laughter.

Sarah looked over at Lily and Froud, who were physically distressed and chained to the wall, gags stifling their responses to Sarah.

"I won, now set them free."

Jareth began to roll a crystal casually around his bare fingertips, which soon became a blur.

"Now, now, Sarah. You are not in quite the right position to be calling the shots."

His eyes and pendant flashed, and Sarah tried desperately to ignore it.

"I won fair and square! Give me them back! It's not fair!" _Ham it up now…_

Jareth took several steps forward and paused in front of the bedraggled Sarah, holding up the crystal. To Sarah, he had never been so haunting – his gaze hurt her and he still seemed so tall.

"If you go back to the Overground, they stay here and will be eternally in my… 'care'." Sarah cautiously looked inside the crystal. She saw Lily and Froud. Then she screamed.

Never would she repeat what she had seen in the crystal to anyone, not even to herself.

Sarah looked back up at Jareth with tortured eyes and he laughed at her prudishness.

"Should you stay, I will free them."

_Stay calm_…Sarah did not have to force the tears to tumble from her sorry lids.

"So if I stay here, they can be free? I've been running all this time, and it's never been for me. It's always been…for you?"

A thunderous, severe cackle escaped from Jareth's mouth. "Yes, is it not brilliant? Your friend really played her part well, figuring out how to come and save you. It was all rather simple."

_Cry more. Make him believe._

Sarah let more sobs out. "I'm trapped here aren't I? Forever?"

Jareth inhaled blissfully at the last word, as if he could taste its wonder.

"You are mine, Sarah. I alone rule you. Forever"

Sarah fell to her knees and cried distraughtly. "_I give in! I'm too tired to fight you anymore!_" Jareth walked forward and began to stroke her dishevelled hair.

"Finally, you kneel to me."

She sobbed louder, so he crouched down to meet her face and spoke softly. Sarah was so tired and miserable that she was only half-acting. It felt so bizarre to consider using her charms when she was in such a state.

"Don't worry; your time here will be nowhere near as bad as theirs would have been." He ran a hand down her wet cheek and throat, so she gulped. "You fear me _now_. You _will_ do as I say. Who knows, maybe you will learn to love me?" He tilted up her sodden face and finally brought his lips to hers, bearing down on them carelessly and revelling in his prize. Sarah froze with shock and kissed back in fear, feeling the heat radiate from the pendant. She felt that kissing her might be akin to kissing a corpse.

Lily and Froud rattled their chains, moaned in protest from under their gags and tears fell from all four eyes. In the stairwell, Hoggle and Labrynthe held back their breath and tears.

As Jareth became more involved in the kiss Sarah nervously raised her hand and placed it around his neck. Jareth took this as encouragement, so pulled her closer to him.

From the stairway, Labrynthe and Hoggle supressed their desire to yell for Sarah to act, but Sarah already knew what to do.

_DO IT. THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE._

Sarah yanked the pendant from Jareth in a confident, fluid movement and used her remaining strength to thrust him back onto the cold floor. In the process, the pendant had bounced across the room with four loud clangs and skidded towards the throne.

"How _dare_ you! _You'll regret that_!" Jareth tried to launch himself at Sarah but she socked him in the jaw and he staggered back to the ground in shock. Frantically, Sarah crawled across the floor towards the pendant while Jareth simultaneously scrabbled and grabbed the material of Sarah's long gown. She let out a scream and scratched the ground with her nails, the pendant millimetres from her fingertips. A gnashing Jareth yanked at the velvet and to his dismay it tore, allowing Sarah to inch forward and hook the black band of the pendant around her finger. Jareth expelled a roar, but all knew it was too late. Sarah threw the pendant around her neck and brought herself to her feet.

Froud and Lily gasped from under their gags and Sarah instantly ran towards them to remove their bonds. "Hoggle, Labrynthe, get in here!" She called.

Jareth meanwhile sat dazed on the floor, as if all the life was flooding out of him. His eyes looked like they were changing, as if they were becoming a beautiful shade of emerald. He surveyed the room around him hesitantly and with pure confusion. And with a second's passing, Jareth did not look like Jareth at all. Goblins stared from gaps in the wall as they saw their master's hair turn a darker shade of blonde and lose some of its height; they watched in horror as his once pallid skin actually flushed pink. He spluttered and rubbed his jaw mechanically, still gawping at his surroundings.

Once Hoggle and Labrynthe had helped Sarah free her friends, Sarah turned on Jareth and inhaled deeply. She could feel the magic of the Labyrinth running through her, revitalising her, fixing her. Everyone in the room took a step back, for everyone knew the significance of what was about to unfold. Sarah only had one chance to do this, and she had to do it right.

"From the moment I first read about you in that malevolent little red book to the moment I stole this pendant from you, I feared you more than anything else in the world, or in my dreams, or _here_."

The pendant shone and illuminated the whole room with an intense red light. Sarah's voice was no longer broken by the ice.

"You stole my brother, you tormented me and my friends, and you had the audacity to think you could do it all over again! Haven't I gone through enough? Haven't I suffered enough? Both of my mothers left me! My father is a drone and refuses to live! I never see my brother!"

Sarah took a step forward and the pendant glowed more fiercely. Those observing the scene could sense a gentle wind rolling around the floor.

"You showed me this world and cruelly cast me back to the other one when you realised I was equal, if not more than you!"

Jareth gaped up at Sarah and the pendant, and then released a terrified yelp.

"You take my friends, chain them up, humiliate them and then threaten them with a fate worse than death! You _cover_ me in cuts and burns and bruises, dress me up like your _mistress_, nearly kill me, and you expect me to _give in_? And you expect me to LOVE YOU?!"

She was now inches from the quivering Jareth and towered over him, her hair caught in the unfelt wind and her eyes growing ever mismatched, ever cruel.

"How could anyone ever love a monster like you? You court me with death threats, set snakes on me, give me gifts of poisoned fruit and steal everything I hold dear! How dare you underestimate me? I am Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth! I beat you once, I can do it again! Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered-"

Jareth began a tormented fit of screaming, his hands over his ears as if the truth was too much for him to bear; her words, _those_ words, were far too much. Sarah only yelled louder, forcing his palms from his ears and digging her nails into them. Filled with a lifetime of stifled fury, Sarah shrieked her final words.

"I have _fought_ my way here to the castle, beyond the Goblin City, to take back my life, which you have stolen! For my will is stronger than yours, and this is _my_ kingdom now!_ You will never have power over me again! NO ONE WILL_!"

The room was bathed in light pouring out of the pendant and the air was hot and insufferable. Jareth trembled on the floor and freed his hands from Sarah's grasp, clutching them painfully and trying to back further away. Lily, Froud, Hoggle and Labrynthe embraced one another and looked on in horror as wind whipped around the room and Sarah glowed entirely red. She glared furiously at Jareth, picturing all the things she could do to him now she had the magical pendant. When the wind reached its height it suddenly stopped, and the room returned to its dim normality. Outside, goblins hid in their houses and under bridges; in the castle, they hid anywhere they could.

Labrynthe muttered to Hoggle miserably, grabbing his hand, "_I think we have made a terrible mistake_." Sarah heard whispers and turned to face the four very frightened friends. They gasped in unison. Sarah's skin had become pale and almost translucent, and all her wounds were gone. She looked positively supernatural. Her eyes were entirely different, as if one pupil was darker than the other. Frowning, Sarah asked, "Why is it that you all stare at me so?" She sounded completely altered, her voice deep and wrong. No one spoke, so Sarah grew agitated. "Come on! Hogwart, what are you staring at?"

Hoggle flinched as he would had an arrow been fired through his heart. Labrynthe looked away and put her hand on his shoulder.

"So, I see that once I am in charge no one likes me quite as much." Sarah cocked her head and put a hand on her hip. "Is no one going to speak then?"

Everyone was too afraid to utter a syllable.

"What's the matter? Ashamed that you have nothing left to offer me? I can do whatever I want now, and I can do it _alone_. I'm not so sure this team spirit thing," she waved her hand dismissively in their general direction, "Is going to work anymore."

Lily was so shocked by the change in her best friend that she supressed cries, and Froud quivered. Sarah's face clouded as she became bored of the people before her. _Urgh, why am I even wasting my time on them?_

"Do you want to know what I do to people that waste my time? Goblins! Get in here you louts!"

Watching Sarah order goblins about was to Lily like seeing a kitten try to pull rank, but there was something so frightfully ruthless about Sarah that Lily did not dwell on the thought for long. Several rather scruffy looking goblins in suits of armour entered the room and hypnotically answered her call. "Take these four to the dungeons and make them comfortable," she grinned sadistically.

Froud could bear it no longer. He cried loudly with new found illumination, "Sarah! This isn't you, it's the pendant! It was always the pendant!" He shot a desperate look at Jareth, but his eyes were fixed nervously on Sarah as he wiped the blood from his hands down his sleeves, leaving two morbid crimson lines down the material. Sarah walked up to Froud and locked his eyes. In them, Froud saw the same pattern that was on the necklace take shape in her mismatched pupils.

"Take him away."

The goblins cleared the room and took the sorry bunch down to the dungeons, leaving Sarah alone with the deposed monarch. She advanced on Jareth once more, who had shuffled across the room to shelter behind the throne. "Have you nothing to say either, coward?"

Jareth looked more muddled than he had ever looked and could not find the words to express all the questions that sat on the tip of his tongue.

"Nothing? _Nothing_? _Nothing_, tra la la?!" Sarah laughed deeply and picked him up by his collar, and then thrust him into the throne. "Come on! You're the Goblin King, aren't you? Where is your army now?" Jareth simply looked to the floor sadly and tried to accept the pain that was about to befall him. Sarah put her face close to his so he could feel her breath on his lips. In a soft whisper, she reminded him of his own words. "_When I am finished with you, you will be begging me for mercy_." She let the words linger between their lips as Jareth's eyes widened in fear, then she pulled away and called in the biggest goblin she could see. He plodded forward, and Sarah mumbled instructions to him before returning to Jareth.

The Goblin Queen stooped to Jareth's eye line.

"Do not worry Jareth, I will make you a king once more – King of the Land of Stench!"

* * *

**AN: I feel very emotional about this chapter - I rewrote it several times. Ready for a cliché? This is only the beginning :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**XVIII - The Abyss**

Although Jareth had ruled over the Labyrinth for over a thousand years, he had only smelled the Bog of Eternal Stench properly once. When he had been coronated his repugnant parents had instructed him to explore every inch of the Labyrinth in order to produce the best strategies in his new role as 'ruler'. When he had stumbled across it, he had instantly cast a spell to enclose a crystal around his nose and mouth to allow him clean breathing. Now, as he masochistically drew in deep breaths he thought to himself, _Even this is nowhere near the despicable things I have done in my life_.

Since Sarah had removed the pendant from Jareth's neck he had been slowly comprehending everything that he had done in the hundreds of years he had ruled malevolently. The memories played themselves through, like he was seeing all his horrific acts with a fresh, innocent eye; for when Sarah had freed Jareth from his pendant, his mentality had regressed back to the naïve, gentle-natured and youthful person he had been before his parents had 'graced' him with his position as Goblin King. With the pendant off Jareth was finally free, and all the terrible things that the Labyrinth's Source had driven him to do were casting themselves upon his memory like skimming stones, each impacting him several times.

_I kicked goblins and set fire to chickens. I bogged people. I killed fairies. I stole children. I brought innocent kingdoms to their knees. I created the most appalling creatures imaginable and then cast them aside when I no longer needed them. I let people become slaves. I killed people. I nearly killed Sarah…I stole her brother. I…I…_

Jareth was so disgusted he felt he should stay in his boggy prison for the rest of eternity.

Sarah had instructed the goblins to tether Jareth to the most rejected part of the Bog and leave him there, in the dark. Jareth therefore sat chained to a rock in his pale, blood-stained shirt, dusty boots and now ripped leggings with self-pity written all over his face. He looked a mere shadow in the dusky clearing, and several woodland creatures that passed hastily would have been oblivious to his presence were it not for the sobs that omitted from the shadows.

The Labyrinth around him seemed to reflect the misery of its deposed ruler. Any undergrowth around the Bog wilted, and even the Bog itself eventually made an effort to reduce its stench slightly. Jareth sensed it and cried out, "Stop it, stop it now. I am not worthy of pity!"

Hours went by and the abolished king remained silent, weeping bleakly and wishing Sarah would just kill him, because now his reality was too much to bear.

_She saved me._

_She stopped me._

_I **love** her_.

Of course he loved her; she had been the only one to ever make him lenient, the only one he never stopped thinking about, and the only one who ever won. Even the pendant could never bring him to kill her, so when the Source figured this out it switched Jareth's focus to torturing her; it was a better, crueller form of infatuation. Every time he had punished Hoggle or Froud, or wished plagues would descend on Sarah Williams's past conquests, it had been out of love – the pendant had just twisted it. He wept for all the things he had done, and because he could never take them back. Eventually he was so tired even the putrid stench could not keep his conscious, so he slipped into a troubled sleep.

For the first time in decades, Jareth dreamt a fully-fledged dream.

He was young again, a boy of about fifteen by the feel of his shorter hair and light step. Alone and ill-equipped, he was stood in the heart of a hedge maze and petrified of the darkness that was descending. Beginning to run, night-time fell and a thick mist surrounded him, swaying with the movement of his legs and dampening his skin. The hedge maze seemed to have no end, and Jareth thought that many must have died in it. He swallowed and persevered. Soon, it became apparent that someone else was running thought the leafy corridors too; he could hear the footsteps and heavy breathing. The noises got closer and closer until, without warning, Jareth had run head-first into the other runner. They toppled over and Jareth landed on top of the figure.

Aghast, Jareth jumped to his feet and saw on the floor before him a young Sarah Williams, dressed in a plain white dress and carrying a little red book. Tears lined her eyes and her face was pale with fear. Jareth tried to apologise profoundly, but his voice caught in his throat. Anxiously, he held out his hand and helped her to her feet, brushing grass from her arms and bowing sympathetically. Sarah no longer seemed afraid, and she blushed under his gaze. He observed her perfectly imperfect appearance: the bags beneath her eyes, her ruffled hair, laced with grass, and her cold, chapped lips. Without knowing how, the pair were stood inches apart and both could almost feel the beating of the others heart. Jareth had not let go of Sarah's hand, and she did not pull away. Instead, she leant in and both closed the gap between them. They kissed nervously and naively, clumsily embracing one another. Jareth felt both blissful happiness and ominous melancholy at the same time, like something was wrong.

When Jareth drew back, he discovered that something was very wrong. Sarah as he knew her no longer stood before him, and instead he saw a tall, devastating and monstrous banshee that looked very much like his beloved. She had dark red lips, white skin and harsh features, and when she screeched at him he saw long, sharp teeth. Beyond them, he thought her dark throat would swallow him up, so he ran back through the green passages. He was no match for her and soon she had grabbed his shoulders and pushed him up against the wall, twigs and thorns pushing into his skin. Unable to talk and unable to move, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate, but when he found that he had been liberated he quickly opened his eyes. Sarah had changed again, this time into the girl he knew she currently was. There she sat, on the floor in the horrible dress he had crafted for her, covered in injuries and rocking back and forth, oblivious to his presence. Stooping to wrap his arms around her he found that his hands went straight through her, and he fell to the floor, Sarah-less.

* * *

When the morning sun poked its apprehensive head over the horizon it woke Jareth and bathed him sympathetically in warm, clean light. The Bog was quiet and still, and in its own way was beautiful, if only for a moment. Jareth managed to move to rub his green eyes; he grimaced and wished he could stretch. His first thoughts were about Sarah and what she was doing, but more importantly what the pendant was doing to her. _What happens if she's killed Lily, or Froud, or Hoggle, or Labrynthe? How will she ever live with herself? I have ruined her life!_ He groaned and turned his head away from the sun in despair, the thoughts running his heart through with daggers.

And as soon as he had turned away, the sun had gone; he could feel it in his eye lids. Before he could open them a sound came from in front of him. It was hard to place, but sounded like, "Urgh-huh?"

The first thing Jareth saw was orange.

"_Ludo_?"

The furry beast stood back in shock and nearly fell over in fear at the sight. His unwieldy frame made it hard for him to keep still or balance, especially in the face of danger.

"King baaad! Not fwend!

"No, Ludo! King friend!" He recoiled and corrected himself. "J-Jareth friend!"

Ludo's big mouth hung open for a few seconds, then he shifted on the spot uncomfortably. "Sawah fwend…"

"No, Sarah bad! Sarah not well!" _Sarah all my fault. Sarah…_

Ludo descended into worried noises and moved around worriedly, confused by the clearly civil and kind-hearted Jareth and equally dismayed at the thought of an ill Sarah. Jareth tried to calm him down but he continued to moan.

Just as Jareth was about to give up a high pitched but imperial voice rang out.

"Forsooth! Who dares to challenge these brothers in arms?"

The furry knight came into view, still dressed in his Renaissance attire and sporting his ridiculous feathered hat. His little, useless nose sniffed the air pointlessly and his eyes darted between Ludo's concerned face and Jareth's delirious one.

"_Sir Didymus_!" Jareth was so overcome with a potential chance to save Sarah that tears formed in the corners of his eyes again, but he blinked them away. Didymus struck his cane against the ground authoritatively to impress his ruler.

"Your majesty? Why dost thou sit so pitifully in these parts?"

Jareth was so overcome with hope that he struggled against his shackles and leant towards them both.

"I – Sarah Williams – needs your help!"

Didymus gawped in disbelief, then barked loudly in full comprehension.

"Then the rumours are true! My lady resides in the Goblin City! I must visit the court immediately!"

"No Didymus, you do not understand – she is in great danger, and so will you be if you storm the castle. She wears the Royal Pendant."

Didymus went as pale as his fur would allow him; he knew by the bizarre situation he found Jareth in that something was seriously wrong.

"My lord? Pardon my ignorance, but…" He could manage no more.

"My pendant," he explained through gritted teeth, "The one I always wore. Hoggle put the reckless idea in Sarah's head that my pendant only contained _my_ magic, but the truth I have recently discovered is that the pendant was designed to breed tyrants. There is a power at the core of the Labyrinth called the Source, and whoever wears the pendant becomes a monster at the hands of the evil magic it channels. Everything I did…" He swallowed the pain, "Was because of the pendant."

Didymus looked totally bemused and his brow tightened.

"But why?"

"My parents are cruel; they wanted their son to grow up just like them." _And he did_..."I will never use this information to excuse my unacceptable behaviour, but this must excuse Sarah's. She is too bold, and brave, and innocent," _And perfect. _Jareth's face grew pained at the thought, "To be truly cruel. We have to save her before she does too much. Though, I am afraid I have made her angrier than I ever was, and believe me anger only makes things worse…"

His face fell again as he recalled his contemptible reign. Didymus had descended into deep thought, letting out intermittent quiet barks. The silence was broken, however, by a monstrous roaring moan.

"Ludo, what on earth?"

"Sir Ludo, of what speakest thou?"

Ludo ignored them both and repeated his noise, only this time the rock behind Jareth shuddered and the chains fell to the floor. Ludo had been listening diligently, and had declared allegiance to Jareth in the best way he knew.

"Ludo! I had forgotten you could do that. The last time I saw you move the rocks was a long time ago now."

"Rwocks fwends!" cheered Ludo, who plodded over and took Jareth to his feet. Feeling Ludo's soft, leathery skin on his reminded Jareth that he could still feel as he once did; content in the company of animals; able to feel adoration. Love swelled in his heart for the orange creature, so he ran his hand over Ludo's head and formed a simple crystal in his hand for him to play with. _At least my basic fae magic has not left me too.._. Didymus barked with approval and Ludo grinned happily in response.

Jareth stretched his aching body, rubbed his eyes more and then turned grave. "I owe you both my life. Now, we have to get back to the Goblin City quickly."

"But sire! Thou canst not simply walk into the city unprepared! If she is as tyrannical as y-" Didymus coughed awkwardly and went on, "We need a plan of attack. She will see us coming!"

"Not if we take a little shortcut I know. Sarah does not know the Labyrinth like I do; I have after all spent an inordinate amount of time here. The only way I could ever watch her was by knowing the Labyrinth inside and out. There is no way she will see us, and the shortcut leads right below the castle."

_Trust you to perfect stalking_. Jareth felt nauseous as he remembered all the perverted, obsessive spying he had once revelled in, and a lump rose in his throat. Didymus roused him from his self-loathing.

"A noble plan!"

The words of confidence wounded Jareth, who was still content with being punished for his crimes. However, outweighing this was a need – an ever-growing need to be with Sarah. He set his mind to imagining ways to ingratiate himself with her so that once she was saved she would not be repulsed by him entirely. It felt futile. His first idea was like a drop in a large ocean of grovelling he would have to achieve, but it was all he had: "We can free her friends from the dungeons on the way."

Didymus was not as enthusiastic, and tapped his cane on the floor apprehensively.

"But what shall we do once we reach the throne room, sire?"

Jareth flinched.

"Please call me Jareth; I deserve no title."

"Jawef FWEND."

"Yes, Ludo, I am. Now look, when we get into the throne room…" Jareth scratched his ruffled blonde hair, "…I really have no idea what to do. It appears I am all out of ideas."

"Perhaps the sight of all her friends may save her, sire?"

"I am not entirely sure it will. No…when I wore the pendant the only thing that swayed its magic was my own desire for…" he cleared his throat uneasily, "what my heart actually wanted."

Then Jareth's eyes fogged over with thought.

"I've got it. I know what Sarah Williams wants."

* * *

**AN: Finally! I have been churning this one over all week in my spare time, and now I concede defeat. Here it is - Jareth in all his glory. I hope I did the idea justice!**

**I apologise to those who want more of Jareth's P.O.V. but I have been trying to use free indirect speech as opposed to my usual italicized thoughts. Hopefully you will get enough of his emotional position anyway :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**XIX - Baggage**

Any resident of the Labyrinth who had ever seen inside the grand throne room would, on seeing its current state, find it unrecognisable and ultimately peculiar. It was filled with dark red smog and diamond-shaped bubbles hovered ominously around the space; the strange atmosphere seemed to radiate from the centre of the room, where there was a dip with stairs that led into the shallow opening. Within this sat Sarah, her iridescent hair floating around her as if she were flying or suspended in space. She blew the rigid, sharp bubbles from the palm of her hand, and in each a tiny fairy became enslaved, appearing from nowhere. They all bashed their hands uselessly on the glass wall, reminding Sarah of something not so distant. Occasionally one would float back past Sarah and she would catch hold of it, crushing it between her fingers and extinguishing the fairy. A savage smile creased her face.

Goblins were scattered around the room, cleaning her newly-forged jewellery, polishing her shoes and trinkets. Gentle music as if from a music box filled the room eerily; Sarah hummed to its hollow tune. The goblins waited around for hours in fear, wondering why she refused to act with her new found power on a grander scale. One particularly butch goblin turned to a pipsqueak and grunted, "She's borin'. She's dun nuffin. All she did wos send every'un away! Phah. I miss the old days…At least he did sumfin'…"

What was unclear to the goblins was that Sarah's plans would not be on a grand scale - at least not yet. She had not completely succumbed to the Source, and although it worked its magic on Sarah, her will was strong. Her first royal actions had unknowingly sent her friends away, out of harm's way; she had even, deep down, taken pity on Jareth and refused to reap fatal revenge on him.

As whatever was left of Sarah Williams battled with the new crazed ruler, she found herself regressing into her fifteen-year-old self. She surrounded herself with the things she always loved and the things she always craved. Adulthood and responsibility had been weighing her down since she had begun studying and living away from home, and she was sick of it.

_Stupid Lily, always bringing home boys and getting good grades. Stupid fucking blond hair stupid bloody perfect bitch. I bet my mum wanted a girl like that._

"_I'd like it if you had dates! You should have dates at your age!" BITCH TELLING ME WHAT I NEED WHEN ALL I NEEDED WAS HER. I don't need dates. I don't need anyone._

_Jareth. Bastard bastard bastard. Tried to hurt me more than all of them put together. I don't need him. I don't._

_I'll just stay here forever. No job. No work. No dad. No one can hurt me here. I can do whatever I want whenever I want and to whomever I want. I am the Queen. I came to the castle beyond the Goblin City and now I rule here forever. I can hurt. I can break. I can kill. If I want to._

Every so often something in her mind would snap and she would kick a Goblin or send one down to torment Lily, Froud and Labrynthe. However, all the while Sarah remained in the centre of the room, caught between two spirits, rocking gently and letting off red magical discharge into the air. It was if she was waiting for someone to save her, and yet she did not want to be saved.

Across the Labyrinth bellowed a deep, melancholic and familiar moan.

* * *

**AN: Not much to say other than sorry about the wait. My course is very intense and I get little time to write now. Sarah is making me sad :(**


	20. Chapter 20

**XX -The Crux**

"I am afraid that our son has finally failed once and for all, Anastas."

Ulric moaned lazily to his wife as she knitted a ridiculously long and shapeless mesh of black material. Nothing, however, could match the darkness of her eyes. Deep brown hair framed Anastas's exacting gaze and her blood red lips were pursed unnaturally as she turned to her husband.

Ulric lowered his seeing glass and sighed deeply, his old yet pristine face tired with the order of the day. "Look, my dear. The human girl is quite beside herself." He then lifted the glass to Anastas to show her the vision of Sarah Williams bossing around goblins, making magical versions of her mother to torture and rocking manically on the floor. Then the glass jumped to a vision of their weakened son struggling through the Labyrinth with his new found friends.

"Oh, really," she replied, "Look at him! He looks positively _humanoid._ Look at those big, 'love-me' eyes. Oh, put it away dear." She turned her head away and returned to her knitting.

Ulric sighed yet again and sat up in his spectacular silver throne that sat at the head of an entirely crystal palace; their incandescent surroundings only made the pair seem gloomier.

Anastas resumed her rant.

"Honestly, dear, we raise him well in spite of his flaws, give him the job of his dreams and he has to lose his head over the most mundane piece of flesh I think I have ever seen. He is utterly ridiculous, losing his pendant to a mere scrap. Fancy falling for a trick like hers! We'll be the laughing stock."

"I suppose we should pay the girl a visit, shouldn't we dear?"

Anastas lowered her knitting.

"I suppose we are _obliged_to…eventually?"

"Of course, my dear. Dinner first, then." Ulric clapped his hands loudly and a few moments later a frightfully thin and physically distraught human female entered the room. Although she was dressed in the Royal uniform there was nothing regal about her. Huge dark circles resided under her eyes and her skin looked as if it was pulled tight over her skull. She shuffled in hastily.

Ulric frowned and was clearly unimpressed.

"You had better not be that slow next time. We know what happens to slow girls."

She knew. _Wolves. Woods. So cold. So icy. So slippery. So painful_…

"Exactly. Now, dinner to be served shortly."

Ulric lifted his dark wooden staff casually and jutted her away, and she emitted a small squeak.

"Useless girl. We'll replace her soon enough with someone of stronger stuff."

His eyes became deathly shadowed as he pictured having Sarah Williams as his servant. _I think I have it in me to break her_…

* * *

**AN: Introducing the in-laws...I wanted to pull Jareth's parents completely from scratch, so here they are. Expect more soon!**


	21. Chapter 21

**XXI - The Elixir**

Jareth strode on through the underground tunnels of the Labyrinth swiftly, praying his parents had not paid Sarah a visit yet. _If they get to her first, then I lose her forever_.

The trio had been trekking for most of the day, but Ludo managed to keep a quick pace and Didymus for the most part kept his mouth shut; occasionally he slipped into one of his famous battle narratives, but all could tell that he was trying to remain positive for the sake of his own apprehension. They arrived at the underground gates to the city as the sun began to set on the Labyrinth once more, not that they were aware of the location of the sun. They had been walking underground for what felt like an eternity, but Jareth was consoled by the fact that he could strike it off his masochistic list of trials he should endure in the Labyrinth to make up for his reign of terror. The air was dank and tasted of stale bricks, making Ludo moan quietly, but Didymus could not understand why.

Through the old wooden door in their path was a further network of underground tunnels, but this time the tunnels were directly below the castle. The party knew that the dungeons were close; the smell of torture caught Jareth's nostrils and he grimaced. _How many people died down here under my rule_? Their footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor and none of them spoke; the scene around them was too much to bear. They had been exchanging small talk for hours together and words finally failed them.

Embedded in the wall were small cells that once contained prisoners. Broken goblin armour and old straw carpeted the floor and in amongst the mess, bones and barely recognisable skulls lay half hidden and fully menacing. For a moment Jareth stopped in front of one of the cells and saw a tiny goblin helmet in the centre of the enclosure, pathetically rusted and obviously ancient. He gripped the rusty bars before him tightly, so tightly that they nearly bent in his fingers. As tears escaped his marble face he slid to his knees and stared at the tiny helmet. Ludo and Didymus looked on nervously and hoped that Jareth would manage to get through the dungeons, and so finally Didymus placed a paw on his shoulder and squeezed, urging him to move on. Jareth nodded and returned to wandering the lonely corridors, until finally the sound of breathing joined the resonance of their footsteps.

In a chamber to their left, Froud and Lily sat limply on the floor in a pile of straw, devoid of colour or strength. Their eyelids drooped as did the edges of their mouths, that is until they saw Jareth. The sight of him made Lily shriek and Froud jump out of his skin at the sound. Lily tried to scrabble back further against the wall but Froud regained his composure and simply said confidently, "So, here you are. Happy?" He lifted his chained wrist and placed a paw on Lily's arm, trying to soothe her. His soft fur made her feel better, but she was still terrified.

From behind Jareth, Ludo and Didymus appeared in order to try to calm the conflict. Froud was ecstatic to see them.

"What? Ludo! Didymus! I can't believe it's you!" He ran forwards as far as his shackles would allow him and beamed. Didymus came to meet him near the bars.

"Good sir Froud, thank heavens thou art safe at last! I know you canst not heal so quickly, but we must work together now if we are to save my lady!"

"Don't worry Didymus, we are fine – Sarah has not hurt us…much."

Jareth sank to the floor to appear less menacing and hung his head in shame.

"Froud, if I could think of anything to make up for what-

"Look, I might seem stupid but I'm not. I know that the necklace made you treat me the way you did; I saw it the second Sarah stole it from you. I can't say I'm thrilled, because that means I can't even be mad at you. Urgh, what I'm trying to say is-

"I'm sorry Froud, and Lily I hope that one day I will be worthy of your forgiveness."

Jareth's warm and grovelling apology made Froud nod, and he turned to Lily.

"Don't be afraid Lily; Sarah is our enemy now, anyway, not him."

Lily nodded and gestured towards Jareth, "You were just a kitten in a lion suit the whole time, weren't you?"

Jareth chuckled gloomily, tears in his eyes, then stood up and gripped the bars of their cell before wrenching them apart and climbing into the space.

"Hang on, where is Labrynthe?"

Froud shrugged.

"We don't know – Sarah put her somewhere else, we think. We haven't seen her."

Jareth considered the news as knelt beside them and used his limited magic to undo their shackles, then helped them to their feet. Froud and Lily shook Jareth's hand, and he bowed to them both in gratification. Both of them wobbled under the hindrance of having been stuck on the floor for hours and hours, but soon enough they were walking tentatively with Jareth, Ludo and Didymus, hoping that they could save Sarah.

Their walk was not far; down a few more tunnels there was an old rotting door that led directly into the castle. Jareth stopped the troop and listened, holding up a finger to silence them. From above they could hear muffled explosions, crashing and cracking.

"Sire, now that we are here I must ask you: should we join you when you face my lady?"

Ludo nodded and grunted.

"I think you must wait here. I do not want to cause any of you any more injury."

Lily and Froud remained silent, feeling completely unequipped to save their friend with Jareth.

Didymus bowed, then added gently, "As you wish sire. But…should you need us…"

Froud chipped in.

"Yeah, should you need us-

"I will call you. Thank you – all of you."

Jareth pushed on the door.

* * *

As Jareth climbed the stairs to face Sarah he could finally imagine how Sarah had felt only hours before. His heart rose in his throat and nerves unlike any he had felt before jitterbugged through his body. He knew what it was he had to give Sarah, but he also knew that once he acquired the pendant he would have to deal with it. Whether he should try to fix and harness its power, or altogether destroy it, was a decision he felt unable to make now. Hesitating briefly, he finally entered the throne room.

Jareth's voice stuck in his throat as he surveyed the scene before him. The throne room was a mess of ornaments, trinkets and keepsakes, like the Junk Yard, yet somehow much, much worse. They piled up against the wall; books, toys, dresses, jewellery, makeup boxes and music boxes, all of which were echoing loudly in the high roof, discordantly. Broken glass and fairy wings lay like a silvery blanket over the mess, forewarning the fractured state that Jareth was to discover Sarah in.

Jareth cautiously began to pace towards the dip in the centre of the room, where he could see the top of Sarah's head, her hair suspended menacingly. She was rocking, just as she had been in his dream and he desperately wanted to run forward and embrace her.

He stood on a large shard of glass and it crumbled under his foot – Sarah's head shot up and her crazed eyes rested on Jareth. A look of symbiotic fury and relief flashed across her face. Jareth's heart stopped.

Sarah, hair blazing and skin white as death, instantly hurled herself across the room towards her nemesis and threw her hands forward, sending a shockwave at Jareth and knocking him to the floor. A loud series of grunts escaped his pained mouth, but he only had moments to recover before Sarah was before him again, forcing him in the opposite direction across the room and into a stack of junk. The debris scattered out like a macabre firework and some loose pieces landed on Jareth and bore into his body, bruising his poor skin. For longer this time Jareth was allowed to gasp for breath and struggle to his feet, wobbling dangerously through the mess. Sarah appeared behind him; as Jareth spun around Sarah, with an almighty burst of energy, targeted all her magic at Jareth's chest. He was sent flying against the wall, cracking his head on the stone. Dizziness descended and he blinked lethargically, until he opened his eyes fully and saw Sarah inches from his face. Her fingers and newly black nails tightened round his neck, but tears formed in her eyes and she loosened her grip. Her voice was twisted and confused.

"Any last words, my fine fellow?"

Jareth let out a final sob and spoke.

"Yes, you precious thing."

Jareth had realised at the Bog of Eternal Stench that he would never save Sarah with any of the clichés; true love's kiss meant nothing to her, and neither did 'I love you'. Instead, he had figured out the words Sarah had never heard – the words she would be desperate to hear.

Sarah bore her teeth, but Jareth bore his heart.

"Sarah Williams, on behalf of your mother, father, step-mother, and anyone who ever did you wrong, I apologise, most profusely."

Sarah's eyes bulged as she fell back onto her knees, her hands hitting the floor to hold her up.

"No one can ever belittle what you had to go through. For a young girl to suffer her mother leaving her, then dying, and then to have another mother leave you after all the torment she put you through by having a son with your hopeless father – it is inexcusable. I know what it is to be abandoned and let down by parents. It is the worst kind of betrayal, because they are the only ones who are supposed to love you unconditionally…"

Sarah had returned to rocking and gripped her arms strangely, as if the words comforted some of her and angered the rest of her. She stared menacingly at Jareth, but seemed to be rooted to the spot and desperate for him to go on. Cautiously, he did as he rubbed his sore neck.

"And as for me, well nothing I can do will ever begin to make up for all the things I did to you. I do not deserve your forgiveness. Sarah, I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. If you kill me, then do it knowing this: I do not hate you Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth. I do not even dislike you. I am in awe of you; I always have been. Sarah, the only thing that ever saved me from succumbing to that pendant was the thought of you. I love you, Sarah, I always loved you. I am so sorry."

Jareth's thoughts danced around his crucial discovery: the words Sarah had never heard. What Sarah Williams desired most of all was to know that everything was not her fault.

Sarah's eyes had become a funny colour, like light and dark were battling in her pupils. Her face was frozen in a state of confused panic, like a duck on water, like the tip of the iceberg, as if below the surface a battle was raging. She clutched her head in confusion, giving Jareth hope that Sarah, a human woman, would be able to fight the malicious magic.

The pendant around her neck began to glow red and Sarah screamed as it burned her skin; it was trying to fuse itself to her chest. She yanked hopelessly at the band around her neck, and Jareth seized his opportunity. He leant forward on his knees and grabbed the band, pulling with all his might with his left hand and using his right hand to try to loosen the pendant from her skin. He used his magic to cool it down but it still burned his hands on contact. Through gritted teeth, he pulled the harmful metal from Sarah's skin and tossed it across the room, catching Sarah's neck before her head hit the floor. She was changing before his eyes into the Sarah he knew; her eyes restored themselves to their usual hue, her skin felt warm to the touch and, unfortunately, all of her cuts and bruises flushed back into her complexion.

In a moment, everything dawned on the pair. They stared intently into each other's eyes and knew that everything would never be the same again, that they would never go back to being enemies. All the junk, the goblins and the chaos around them faded into insignificance. In their moment, only they mattered.

Sarah's eyes drooped and slowly she lost consciousness, but the last thing she saw was Jareth's worried face above hers, and the last thing she felt was his gentle sigh of relief on her cheek.

Jareth lifted Sarah into his arms carefully before placing her in his throne; he then picked up the pendant and stared coldly at it. In his hand sat the source of all the misery that had plagued his life, the reason for the hundreds of years he had wasted being cruel never to be kind. He concentrated the purest, refined rage he could muster and formed a crystal around the charm, then he let the sphere tumble from his fingers. On impact with the ground, the crystal shattered into thousands of fragments that slowly dissolved on the floor. With the risk of becoming his parents' puppet gone, he cast a quick look at Sarah before calling for a goblin. From the cubby holes in the walls a few sorry faces appeared and whimpered in reply; they were united in their desire to restore Jareth as king, especially since he had become so considerate.

"Would you please go and collect the group of people from the underground tunnels please? Thank you."

The novelty of Jareth's new found politeness would never grow old for the goblins. The little figures jumped with glee and scuttled out of the room excitedly.

Moments later, Ludo, Didymus, Froud and Lily entered the room and gasped as they saw Sarah curled up and unconscious.

"Is she alive?" cried Lily.

"She will be fine, please do not fret. She has a lot to sleep off."

Lily nodded and sighed, putting a reassuring arm around a newly-shaking Froud. "Everything will be fine now, okay?"

"Your majesty! Thou hast defeated the cruel magic that enslavest my lady! I humbly bow to your knightly ways."

"SAWAH BAK!"

"Shh! Please, Ludo, we must be quite. Sarah needs to rest."

Everyone nodded almost in unison, unable to find words.

"Froud, could you take everyone to the bedchambers? I think we have all had enough for one night. I will have some food brought to your rooms, but now I must tend to Sarah."

With a few exchanged words of gratitude the party cleared the throne room and left Jareth to guard Sarah and make sure his parents did not make an appearance. He had intimated to the others that the threat was over, when really the threat was bigger than him or Sarah had ever been. He was filled with crippling fear, but tried desperately to put it out of his mind. His parents were leisurely and often delayed responsibilities for a few days. He had time to prepare. Until then, he had an even bigger problem to deal with: the repercussions of telling a girl he had previously tried to destroy that he loved her.

* * *

**AN: This was officially the hardest chapter to write so far, but finally it is here! I notice a few of you thought the story had ended, but never fear! I have a good many chapters left to bang out. I don't want to rush this because I think it would be unrealistic for Sarah to jump wildly into the arms of a man she previously had nightmares about. Expect another update sooner this time.**


	22. Chapter 22

**XXII - The Nights**

Against the far wall in a dimly lit, high-ceilinged room stood a soft white bed whose gold frame stood low to the ground. The gentle haze of the morning seeped into the cracks in the shutters that hung from the windows in the stone wall. Resulting from this, thin bands of dim light fell onto the face of Sarah, who lay comatose on the ivory bed. They disturbed her slightly, but she was far too tired to gain consciousness and drag her pupils away from the disruption.

_My head. My head…It's gone. Oh, thank goodness it's gone…_

Sarah finally awoke to gentle, rhythmic caresses; she could feel her tousled hair being stroked nervously by an unknown source. Parting her lids slowly, she saw a rather dishevelled Jareth stop uncertainly, as if he had woken her up. He pulled back and sat up straight on the edge of the bed.

"Sarah…Can you manage?"

It was a difficult question to answer. She tried to sit up, but drunken lethargy emanated from every pore of her recovering body. Every part of her body hurt, especially her snake scorch and the oddly shaped burn on her chest. Sarah blinked and could not recognise the room around her, discovering that she was spread out across a sizeable bed with her head lolling lazily on a fantastically comfortable pillow.

"Can you remember what happened, Sarah?"

Of course she could remember; the thoughts of her previous hours arose fresh in her mind…

_I have to fight this, he deserves to be free – __**but he tried to kill me! He would do it again!**__ Send my friends away, they have to be safe, they have to be safe. Lock them up! __**You deal with them NOW! **__No – put them away, well out of the way. Tie them far from me, leave me alone. __**Your mother did this. Your father did this. Nobody loves you. No one will ever love you. All you have is yourself – punish them all! NOW!**__ NO. I have to fight…I have to fight…So tired…_

Sarah nodded morosely, then whispered in tiny voice,

"Did I hurt anyone?"

Jareth's heart filled with sorrow and he laid a hand on her arm.

"No one is hurt; not a soul. Lily and Froud are just happy you are alive. You are the most hurt of all…how do you feel?"

Sarah closed her eyes sorely and tried to sit up, soon failing.

"I feel like death, actually, but I guess it's better than being dead…I can't believe…It was horrible…"_ Words can't do it justice…_

Jareth remained quiet and pursed his lips, before tenderly helping prop Sarah up in the hollow of his shoulder; Sarah was too tired and wretched to protest. She peeled open her eyes again and a small sigh escaped from her tired mouth as she saw she was still in the ridiculous dress, and Jareth flushed red when he realised that his previous indecency caused her discomfort.

"I am so sorry- look, I can help. Here…"

He formed a crystal in his free hand and held it up to Sarah apprehensively, who stared inquisitively into it and saw a comfortable pair of jeans and her favourite green sweater. When she looked back at Jareth he smiled and motioned to her attire, which now matched that inside the crystal. The soft green folds covered Sarah's bruises, caressing her skin when the material shifted.

"Oh, thanks. I feel a bit better now I'm not trussed up like a hooker."

Sarah chewed on her bottom lip awkwardly. _That was a stupid thing to say…_

"If I could take it all back…everything I ever did to you or anyone else-"

Sarah raised a hand painfully.

"Look, Jareth I understand. There is no reasonable way I could be angry with you; as for your parents…"

Jareth still looked unsure and filled with self-hatred.

"Jareth, I _felt_ it for myself, nothing could escape that power, not even you. How on earth you handled it all those years is a mystery to me…_How _did you bear it? Battling against it all the time?"

Jareth knew what he wanted to say. _I did not bear it. I never will._

"I was a very impressionable young boy – I did not have half the back bone you have now. I suppose I did not try very hard to break free…"

Sarah sighed.

"We are going to have to talk about this at some point, but I really don't feel equipped to do it now…I still keep expecting you to put a knife to my throat or something...don't worry, I'm not that serious…"

Jareth smiled meekly and nodded, so Sarah returned an unconvincing smile; she felt massively uncomfortable this close to a man she had previously had nightmares about, but there was something about his new eyes that were so endearing that they eased Sarah's headache.

The beautiful eyes narrowed longingly.

"Sarah, what I said before. About…_loving_ you-

_Oh no no no no no. _Throat tight and palms suddenly clammy, Sarah butted in.

"Please let's not talk about it now, huh? Too much has happened already today, and I am so exhausted. I feel like I could die…"

"Please, Sarah. Please-

"Not now!" She cracked under the pressure, partly from exhaustion and partly from her inexperience in all things romantic. Her voice was tired and sore.

"How can you expect me to handle this so quickly?" she croaked, "The man who spent the best part of thirteen hours trying to destroy me is actually innocent and _in love with me_? It's beyond my human brain's capacity. It's something I cannot begin to deal with."

Jareth flinched and cast his saddened eyes to the ground, feeling utterly despondent and without cause. Sarah felt instantly guilty but still shifted away from him; somehow it was impossible for her to stay angry with Jareth now he was truly himself, and she did not like it. _Where do I stand with him? How can I stay mad at him?_

"Oh Jareth," she moaned, "I'm being insensitive. I'm sorry, this is just too weird. I can't handle this today. Let's talk about it later, okay?"

At that moment, the grand clock resounded throughout the castle, causing Sarah to jump slightly, thus increasing Jareth's grip on her shoulder. In the distance, beyond the gaps in the shutters, Sarah could see that the Labyrinth was dimly lit and the whole Goblin City was still asleep.

"What will you do with them all, Jareth? All the goblins, I mean. Will you still rule them?"

Contemplating the answer deeply, Jareth's brow furrowed.

"I cannot exactly leave them, and I am not sure I have anywhere else to go. Besides, it is the only job I have ever done, and I dread to think how I would do elsewhere."

It was sad but true; Jareth, although experienced in years, was essentially unskilled in anything other than ruling. Both Sarah and Jareth instantly became overloaded with thought, and therefore tried to put the subject out of their minds.

Feeling he had out-stayed his welcome, Jareth rose from the bed. Sarah moved as the mattress rose from where Jareth had been sat, and she turned her head.

"Go back to sleep, Sarah. I imagine you will need to stay in bed for a while."

"Alright…"

Sarah yawned with intense exhaustion and drooped back to sleep almost instantly. Jareth, however, skulked out of the room, embarrassed and rejected.

* * *

"I just can't remember the last time I saw her. We were in the throne room, and Sarah made those goblins take us to the dungeon…then I just go blank. Labrynthe was there one minute and gone the next…"

Lily paused and rubbed her stiff arms. She and Froud were sat in a window seat in a small and comfortable chamber in the private quarters of the castle, drinking cups of warm spiced fruit juice and talking through the events of the previous day. Out of the window they could see all of the inhabitants of the Goblin City rising and opening up their windows.

"I suppose we should ask Jareth; he is still pretty powerful, even without the pendant. He cleaned up the throne room with a wave of his arm, and he was up healing Sarah most of last night. He must know…"

Silence fell in the room again. Everyone felt as though they were hanging around, waiting for something to happen. The ominous feeling in the pits of their stomachs refused to shift.

"Froud…do you think she went back to Jareth's parents? I mean, she did say they hired her…what happens if she's a double agent? Or worse, what happens if they have her ransomed?"

"Lily, we have got to stay calm. I know this is all new to you and a bit hard to swallow, but I used to worry non-stop and it never made a difference." He placed a paw on Lily's arm. "I promise that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Lily looked down at her arm and blushed violently, but before she could respond Jareth entered the room, making her pull her arm away sheepishly.

"I am sorry to disturb you both, but I wanted to let you know that Sarah woke up this morning and she seems unharmed."

Both Lily and Froud contemplated Jareth's appearance: he looked awful. Huge bags hung from his lower lids and the small creases in his face were more pronounced. Lily, no longer afraid of the man who tortured her hours before, spoke softly.

"That's good. Jareth…are you okay? You look terrible."

"I must admit I have felt better…but then again, I am not sure I have felt properly in a very long time."

"You love her."

Froud had jumped in.

"Yes. Desperately, in fact…"

Lily grinned.

"I always thought you did, like in the story."

The reminder of the disturbed games he used to play with the little red book made his face turn grave.

"Yes, well, it does not matter. She has made it quite apparent that I am…Never mind…"

Lily was touched by his clear anxiety and so she approached him, arms stretched out, and embraced Jareth like a mother would a child. Surprised at a girl at least a foot shorter than him making him feel like a small child, he stood rigid at first but then conceded.

"You know, Lily, I used to watch you and Sarah…before…and I used to feel such strong envy that she had a friend as good as you to rely on."

"I think I'll take that as a complement!"

They both laughed and pulled away, and Lily returned to Froud, who looked full to burst with questions.

"Jareth, I have got to ask – where is Labrynthe? Have you seen her?"

Lowering himself into a large chair, Jareth rubbed his forehead.

"I have been going over that in my head all night. I have never met her properly, and I have no idea whether I should trust her or not. If she still works for my parents, I have no doubt that she is there."

Lily jumped up.

"Oh god, did you leave Sarah on her own?"

"No, no, calm down – I cast a protective spell around her room. If anyone goes in her room without my knowledge then I will know. Besides, I left her in good hands."

* * *

"Dost thou think she will be alright, good sir Hoggle?"

Hoggle raised a wrinkled eyebrow at the little fox-like creature.

"Sure, she'll be fine. Sarah's a fighter, that's f'sure. She jus' needs rest…"

Next to the small man stood Ludo, tall and awkward with his head pressed against the ceiling.

"Sawah sad…"

Hoggle observed Sarah's scrunched up face; if she was sleeping, he knew she was not sleeping well.

"Yeah…Sarah looks pretty bad…"

The trio of mismatched companions stood and watch their friend sleep unsoundly, all pondering the whereabouts of Labrynthe and equally all wondering when Jareth's parents would be making an appearance. The waiting was making everyone in the Goblin City increasingly nervous and tense, so goblins frequently broke out into ridiculous arguments to vent their frustration. Hoggle could hear their voices echo across the city.

Hoggle, Ludo and Didymus stared on worriedly at Sarah, knowing that soon they would face a power stronger than ever before. When they had fought Jareth all those years ago they had been confident in the fact that Sarah was strong and had had a bizarre power over Jareth's emotions. Now, they knew that they had nothing to use against the two strongest faes in their realm.

"Sir Hoggle…when they come, wilst thou protect Sarah to the very end?"

Hoggle blinked a tear away gruffly and cleared his throat quietly.

"Yeah, uh, well…of course I will."

Ludo grunted in agreement.

Sarah let out a small noise but stayed still, and since the group did not want to risk waking her they left the room quietly (some more quietly that other, less orange folk) and closed the door firmly shut.

* * *

The chamber surrounding Jareth felt different to him now. _Colder, barer, crueler. Was it always this dark?_ The throne room had once been his haven, the centre of his schemes and the core of his power, but now it only served to remind him of his sordid past. _If only my power was stronger…I could turn Froud back into a man…I could heal Sarah faster…I could fight…them._

With a lazy wave of his hand the room became brighter. He returned his palm to his forehead and leant back in his throne. _What am I going to do? Sarah could die. We could all die…_

From underneath Jareth's fingers crystalline tears ran down his cheeks and fell into his lap. Like everything else in the Labyrinth, the tears were restless and wanted to escape.

* * *

Sarah slept late into the day, so late that the clock was striking six o'clock when she awoke properly. She had only risen to crawl to the little en suite bathroom or to drink some water - pride prevented her from calling for help, and she was worried that if she asked for it then Jareth would come to help her. _Urgh. This is so ridiculous. I cannot be mad at him, but if I am nice to him it just feels so…wrong. But…if I am cruel to him then I am worse than he is, because he's being pleasant now…oh God, my head…_

Sarah tried to stand up on her fatigued legs and feebly fell back down into the bed. Her whole body felt void of strength and it infuriated her when only hours before she had felt so much power.

"Let me help?"

Jareth had appeared in the door way, dressed in his usual white and grey ensemble. A tray was balanced in his left hand, and his right hand was extended regally.

"I don't need your help Jareth." _Oh, great start Sarah…_

Jareth appeared deeply hurt; he had spent the entire day either sleeping or worrying about strategies for dealing with his parents, so her words bore into him cruelly.

"As you wish. I'll leave this here." _I'm never going to be enough. I'm always going to be the monster…_

He placed the tray down on the little crystal table next to the bed – there was a plate of fruit, bread and cheese, and a hot yellow drink that smelt of lemons and other things Sarah had never smelled before.

"The drink will make you feel better – I made it, I can assure you it will."

Sarah thawed slightly. _Oh, this is too weird. Can I handle this? How would I feel if Lily and Froud stopped talking to me after what I did to them? Oh no, __**are **__they still talking to me? I need my friends; I need them…_

Jareth motioned to leave.

"_Wait_!"

Startled, Jareth turned back to face Sarah and saw that she looked especially distressed, almost rising from the bed.

"Um, it's just…" Sarah swallowed her pride, "I really miss home. And I miss feeling safe. For the past few days I've been contemplating death and then last night I nearly died…I feel like a wreck, and even though for a while you were the source of all my problems… Urgh, I'll just say it…would you," she gritted her teeth in embarrassment, "_hug _me?"

Love and warmth shone from Jareth's face as he instantly descended to his knees next to the bed and embraced Sarah reassuringly. He felt his entire being break down in cathartic misery as he wondered if this would be the only time he would ever embrace her; even if she did accept him, would they be alive in the morning anyway? She buried her head in his shoulder and cried tears of exhaustion, surrendering to her instinct, happy that she was not entirely alone in her state of flux. However, she was soon surprised to find that Jareth was sobbing too.

"What? What's wrong?"

He lifted his tear-stained face and in that moment, Sarah knew he would never again be the monster she once knew.

"I'm sorry, these are awful manners in front of you. It has been a hard time for us all, and I simply have no idea what to do with myself. I feel like I did when I was eighteen, but that was so long ago! I am so tired Sarah! I am so scared…my parents denied me my chance for a normal life when I was about your age and I cruelly did the same to you. _I'm a monster_! _And now they're coming…and…_"

Holding a sobbing monarch in her arms was something Sarah had never planned on. It made her feel strange inside, like when seeing a parent cry. She pulled him nearer despite her aching limbs and stroked his head as if she was soothing a child.

"It's okay…shhh…."

Jareth let his scrunched up and embarrassed face fall against Sarah's green jumper as he cried out only a fraction of the frustration he felt about his lot in life. Sarah meanwhile contemplated Jareth's horrifying parents, and how they had been willing to put their son through torment for hundreds of years for the sake of toughening up, only to forget him. Had she experienced that, Sarah knew she could never be as strong as Jareth was being now. _I could barely handle a day_. In an attempt to comfort him, Sarah lifted Jareth's head and planted a kiss on his clammy forehead. He exhaled, and their foreheads fell together.

"I cannot believe how much time you spent living as someone else. I understand now why everything you did and said was always so contradictory; it drove me crazy! I appreciate it all now…

For a moment the pair sat, head to head, silent and confused.

"Will…will you stay here tonight? I don't want to be alone anymore."

Jareth looked into her eyes to be sure she was serious, then nodded. He rose from his knees, slipped off his boots and lay down next to Sarah, who felt shy seeing his feet for the first time. He cautiously lay several feet away from her.

"…Jareth?"

"Um-hmmm?"

"Do you think you will be able to fix everything, you know, like the kingdom and the castle and your parents?"

He swallowed. _Will I even have a kingdom after…?_ Choosing to ignore the impending problem, he replied encouragingly.

"I should think so. I may not have the pendant anymore but I still have ample magic."

And with a flourish he blew bubbles from his hands and they floated gracefully over Sarah, popping on her nose and eyelashes and making them both laugh.

That was all it took to close the gap between the two once-enemies. Soon Jareth and Sarah were having _that_ conversation, the one that goes on for hours and refuses to end. The one that occurs at the start of a friendship, when neither person can bear to end it and the only thing that can stop them is sleep. The one that runs on like water through a valley, that refuses to cease.

…"_And I swear I thought Toby would never ever be allowed ice cream again!"…_

_…"Nothing compares to the Labyrinth at dusk"…_

…"_But how is that even possible? Urgh, fierys drive me crazy…"…_

… "_When I was younger I always wanted to be a dragon"…_

…_. "I miss my mother all the time, but sometimes I think I was better off without her"…_

… "_Hoggle and I never really agreed on anything, but I am not sure anymore"…_

… "_I always wanted to be a princess, until I read Germaine Greer's books!"…_

…"_I have not sung in a terribly long time"…_

"I remember when you sang to me."

Jareth flushed at the horrible memory and grimaced.

"Don't…"

"No, no – I loved it. I still wanted to be a princess then, so it was the best moment of my childhood. I'd never admit it to anyone else, especially since it isn't my fantasy anymore, but-"

"What is your fantasy now?"

Jareth and Sarah were sat cross-legged on opposite sides of the bed and munching on grapes that Jareth had magically made. Sarah blushed and picked one up while she framed her answer, squeezing the grape until the skin looked like it would split.

"I definitely do NOT want to be anyone's fairy princess - or _anyone's_, for that matter. I just want to be appreciated, never judged as unworthy."

Jareth nodded and frowned at his power-crazed slurs from his memory._ You're no match for me Sarah._ _Fear me. Love me. Do as I say. Just let me rule you_. It was enough to make him rub his forehead in humiliation.

Sarah moved the grapes off the bed and lay on her side facing Jareth, who stared questioningly at her.

"Will you sing me that song again?"

He huffed.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Sighing yet again and lying next to a smiling Sarah, Jareth cleared his throat and began to murmur the tune gently into her ear. Sarah closed her eyes and noticed that Jareth had somehow managed to get the melody to accompany him. For the first time she could appreciate the sound in its purest form and she was no longer afraid to listen. Jareth sang until steady, soft breaths escaped from Sarah's mouth.

Sarah was the first to fall asleep primarily because Jareth could not. He watched Sarah morosely for most of the night, but often went to sit at the window and watch his Labyrinth sleep. With the pendant gone, he could be the ruler he had always wanted to be. _I could make life better here, better for people like Froud. I could be the man Sarah deserves. Maybe someday…Maybe if my parents don't…_

After a while Jareth sat at the dresser on the far side of the room and considered his new reflection in the mirror for the first time. His fresh eyes were disorientating but he was thrilled that they were honestly his. Behind him Sarah moaned in her sleep, so he returned to her side and threw a soft white blanket over her. Desperate to maintain his new-found gentlemanly graces, he stayed above the covers, and soon enough he dozed off to the sound of Sarah's gentle breathing. When the sun finally rose triumphantly the next morning Jareth awoke to the sensation of warm rays across his face, and yet he felt that the night was only just beginning.

* * *

**AN – Impending doom…what do we think? Labrynthe good or bad? Jareth's parents powerful enough to destroy them? All will be revealed, hopefully sooner than this update!**


	23. Chapter 23

**XXIII – Winter Approaches**

Something similar to an invisible cold mist blew through the streets of the Labyrinth; the whistling in the air woke Jareth from the warm intimacy he had been sharing with a dozing Sarah. In the early hours she had unconsciously rolled into his chest and remained there for the rest of the night. Now, as Jareth moved away towards the window, slipping on his boots, she rolled back and moaned quietly. The morning was still fresh but the ominous atmosphere had roused many city dwellers; goblins peered from front doors, windows and under bridges broodingly. Every inch of the Labyrinth felt the evil that was approaching. _Today is the day_.

Jareth felt the shakes descend and cascade down his back.. _I have no way to beat them. I am powerless. I cannot save Sarah – I cannot save her…__**I have to try**_.

Leaving Sarah sleeping, Jareth crept from the room ready to sound the alarm. If he was under attack, then so was his Labyrinth.

* * *

As Sarah slept her subconscious was aware of the increasing coldness and several strange sounds. The sound of an unusual bugle was followed by a muted surge of goblin voices, the clinking of weapons and the scurry of many feet. Since her exhaustion had been increased by her late night, Sarah slipped in and out of sleep for several hours, and when she finally awoke it was to a pair of green eyes. They were the only thing she could initially recognise, because Jareth was a changed man. Superficially, his clothes had changed to the dark armour he had first worn in her bedroom many years ago; dark metal twisted around his waist and a deep crimson cape poured down his back. His hair was luminous and tall. On closer inspection, beneath all the bravado, Jareth's eyes were heavy and his mouth strained. Sarah swallowed, partly in trepidation, partly in awe of how astounding Jareth looked.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Jareth sat on the bed next to her and tried to maintain eye contact.

"Are you cold?"

"Um, well, yes, I suppose I am. Why?"

Still grave, Jareth placed his hand on Sarah's arm.

"They are coming. They could be here anytime. I can _feel _it, everyone can"

It was Sarah's turn for a visit from the shakes. Fear struck every part of her body and tears entered her eyes. She angrily blinked them away, furious at her powerlessness.

"What are we going to do? _Am I going to die_?"

All the emotions Jareth had managed to make her feel during her return to the Labyrinth were nothing on the fear she felt now. _I have literally nothing! I can't do anything to stop them!_

"Sarah, _I will not let you die_."

"I want to go home! Can't you send me back? Please!"

Her pleading eyes hurt Jareth, who took her by the shoulders.

"I can't Sarah, they would find you Overground too! You are much safer with me, I promise. Look, come with me."

Jareth rose and held his hand to Sarah, who could walk properly again and support herself; she did, however, chose to grip Jareth's arm. He led her to the window ledge and pushed open the shutters.

Below the bizarre couple, in the centre of the city, stood the largest army Sarah had ever seen. The crowd below her burst the walls of the Goblin City and spread far into the Junk Yard beyonf. Goblins stood in neat, misbehaved rows in suits of armour and wielding spears, axes and even sling shots in smaller cases. Beyond the goblins were bands of Fierys, shrieking loudly about wanting to get their hands on a fae head. Scattered about were groups of the Royal Guard, swarms of fairies, the hideous monsters Jareth had created, and at the steps of the castle stood Ludo, rock in hand, Didymus mounted on his loyal steed, Lily dressed head to toe in armour and grasping a sword, and her other hand held Froud's, who was equally dressed for battle. All of it, of course, was nothing in the face of fae magic, but the sentiment was overwhelming. Somewhere a bugle sounded again, and the whole crowd cheered for their ruler – the first genuine cheer Jareth had ever received from his subjects. Sarah cheered back, fighting back tears, and turned to Jareth, who was beaming down at his subjects.

"I can't just run away and leave you all…I want to help."

"I thought you might," he smiled.

Jareth left the room momentarily and returned with a large black box that bore the royal crest.

"I had it specially made last night; the blacksmith is a true magician."

Sarah lifted the box breathlessly and revealed a glistening pair of black fae armour. The trousers were soft and velvety, the boots shiny and strong, the lapis lazuli cape long glorious, and the body piece was covered with a thin layer of crystal. When Sarah picked it up it danced in the light, as if it held its own magic.

"It's beautiful Jareth…"

She could say nothing more. Instead she began to pull off her jumper and unbutton her jeans, which made Jareth's pale complexion flush violently. He turned away quickly trying to remain composed, and a few seconds later he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned, he was met by the sight of Sarah all in black, with the blue cape flowing behind her. She looked other-worldly and striking. _She is fit for a queen…_

"Sarah, you look-

"Indestructible? Awesome? Like a mouse in a top hat?"

"Like a woman in her element."

Jareth took Sarah's hand and knelt before her.

"Sarah-

_Palms dry, throat closed, head rush…_

"Get up Jareth."

Sadness stained Jareth's expression. He rose awkwardly and smiled hollowly at Sarah.

"Let's not do this now Jareth, okay?"

Jareth nodded. _But I may not get another chance…_

The pair returned to the window, but Sarah was once again surprised by what she saw. The sky was a pale grey, almost white, and snow had gently begun to fall. Since many of the inhabitants had never experienced snow the frozen water struck fear into the hearts of many. Goblins huddled in shelters and under larger goblins, and the Fierys moaned about the cold. Jareth held out his hand, caught a piece of snow, licked it from his glove and frowned.

"They are close; too close. Come with me – we need to get to the throne room."

Before they had time to move, a piercing howl sounded out across the Goblin City. Sarah grabbed Jareth's hand, and below them Froud grabbed Lily's.

"Jareth, what was that?"

_Wolves._

"Jareth?"

"Come – _now_."

He tugged her hand and dragged her from the room, headed for the throne room.

* * *

There was a commotion in the courtyard below the castle as several of the largest wolves the Labyrinth had ever beheld crashed through the streets and began to attack the soldiers. They were twice the size of normal wolves, pure white and red-eyed, and above all they were fast. There was something about them that made them look transparent and haunted.

No one could out run them. Swiftly, they launched themselves at goblins and tackled them to the ground; they were so agile that the smaller goblins were dead within seconds. Ludo grew aghast at the situation and began to moan loudly, rocks rolling into the city from all directions. One particularly massive boulder flew from the city walls and struck a wolf square in the chest; the wolf exploded into dust on impact. Other goblins cast arrows and spears through the air, but often missed and risked the lives of their comrades. The Amphisbaena struggled to grab a wolf in its teeth and it tangled its two heads together. The Green Knight swung his large axe back and forth, but he was too slow for the agility of the wolf spectres. Lily, Froud and Didymus gathered by the castle doors and huddled behind Ludo, who was battling harder than anyone could; it seemed his technique was the only one that worked. Eventually only one wolf remained, and Ludo walked forward ready to crush it. However, it evaded his rock and sprung towards Lily. In the split second before it would have killed Lily, Froud leapt before her and took the full force of the wolf slamming into him. He span and fell to the floor, face down, not moving.

"NO! FROUD!"

"FWOUD FWEND!" Ludo hurled a rock at the wolf, and it faded away.

Lily threw herself down beside Froud's soft furry head and began to weep, stroking his mane and listening to his breath. Against her better judgement she rolled him over onto his front, and started backwards. Before her was not a lion, but a man of about nineteen. His lion-like features had been replaced by soft human ones, and his beautiful sandy hair was fluffed about his head.

"Froud! Froud! Can you hear me?" She stroked his face lovingly.

Froud opened his eyes tiredly and smiled when he looked down and saw his human body.

"The spell must have worn off." He coughed, then smiled meekly at Lily. "You made me the man I always wanted to be Lily. I'm going to miss you."

"No, no Froud you're not going anywhere! Tell him Didymus! Ludo? He's going to be fine! Froud? FROUD!"

Froud's eyes had fallen shut, but a gentle smile remained on his mouth fleetingly.

Lily threw her head down on his chest and shrieked.

* * *

As Sarah and Jareth arrived in the throne room a loud and tortured shriek echoed around the chamber.

"That was Lily!"

Sarah dashed for the window and saw Lily huddled over a figure.

"I think someone is hurt! It's Froud!"

Jareth had joined Sarah and instantly knew what had happened.

"Sarah, we can't help him now – we have our own fight."

"What fight? The fight is down there!_ Why aren't we helping_? Lily is down there!"

Before Jareth could reply, a penetrating chill invaded the room and it began to snow _inside_ the throne room. Jareth pulled Sarah behind him and growled strangely as a thick miasma filled the room. He could feel Sarah pressed to the back of him, heart pounding through both of their armour. When the mist cleared, Ulric was sat in Jareth's throne, dressed in black and furs. Anastas was dressed similarly and stood next to the throne, arms folded. They were surrounded by four ghostly wolves that growled in response to Jareth.

Ulric sighed and put his head in his hand, something Sarah recognised from Jareth's previous behaviour. Anastas spoke.

"Oh Jareth, Jareth, Jareth…you do _so_ enjoy making our lives difficult."

Jareth scoffed and kept his grip on Sarah.

"Lives? We have been absent from each other's for long enough; I thought you would have forgotten me by now."

"Ah, but we cannot simply forget our youngest, most disappointing son, now, can we? Especially when he refuses to pull rank and when he falls in love with-" Anastas looked at Sarah's face poking out from behind her son, "Such _disgusting_ creatures."

Sarah was paralysed by fear, and felt Jareth's hand tighten uncomfortably around her hand.

Ulric spoke up irritably.

"Shall we move this along? I think it is quite clear what needs to happen."

Jareth scowled.

"If you touch her-

"You pre-empt my actions son! But yes, the girl must go, or be ours. You will not be needing such a slave."

Sarah flinched.

"Why, what are you going to do with me?" he replied.

Anastas was tapping her long nails on the throne agitatedly. "Well, you can hardly expect to rule now; I mean look at you! You look _seelie_, for heaven's sake. All bushy haired and ridiculous. We cannot have such a ruler as yourself here."

"Who will replace me then?"

Anastas's eyes narrowed.

"We have several options, but the most likely is-

She clicked her fingers, and in a cloud of mist appeared a woman almost as white as the snow. Her long pale hair fell long, over her bare shoulders and to the floor. Twisted ice covered her arms and her white gown flowed to the floor and gathered around her feet in a puddle of material and hair. Her eyes were black and cruel, but she was very beautiful.

Sarah whispered, "Jareth, _who is she_?"

"Niflhel."

The pale woman laughed.

"Hello brother."

* * *

**AN: This particular section is harder to write than I had anticipated! I hope everyone is still enjoying this; even though it is hard I am really enjoying writing it. Please review and let me know, and I will hopefully upload again soon.**


	24. Chapter 24

**XXIV - Apotheosis**

Jareth, still protecting Sarah, had nearly buckled when he saw Niflhel appear. They had not seen each other in an extremely long time, primarily at the fault of Niflhel. She had always been the favourite of the family, managing the highest level of fae cruelty and torturing any human she ever saw. As a child she had snapped the necks of the animals Jareth played with, and her parents were so proud that they let her rule over the neighbouring kingdom, Issniflheim.

The pack of wolves barked at Niflhel and rubbed up against her legs before resting at her feet, their eyes still on Sarah. The sight of Sarah pricked up Niflhel's eyebrows and she grinned widely, revealing sharp white teeth.

"I see you have a new play thing." She tilted her head menacingly. "She's rather plain Jareth, I'm disappointed." Niflhel's eyes bore into Sarah's, and they narrowed after a few seconds. "I can see what interested you, though. She's difficult to break, but it can be done." Her fingers snapped.

Anastas regally approached her daughter and laid a hand on her arm. "Your sister is here to take over from you. We plan to…'alter' the way things are done here. You see, the Underground is always in need of more servants than _you_ can ever seem to provide, and we need a more efficient leader. Your sister is perfect."

"She is no sister of mine," Jareth spat, "We are related by blood and nothing else." Sarah could feel Jareth tremble, but she was too terrified to do anything. The wolves stood threateningly around Sarah's enemies, making them unbeatable.

Ulric was growing tired of the whole spectacle. "Look, this is taking longer than it needs to." His dark eyes rested on Sarah and he turned grave. "Jareth, step forward. We will deal with you first, and make her watch."

"No," interrupted Anastas, "Do her first, my dear."

Shrugging, Niflhel pointed her arm at Sarah and gripped her fist tightly. Sarah was overcome with the most painful cold sensation in her chest, as if her heart was being suffocated by ice. Jareth felt Sarah tense behind him and spun around, crying out in anger. He turned back around and forged a crystal in his hand, hurling it at his sister's face and forcing her magic away from Sarah. She growled and moaned, "You bastard!", clutching her face. Before Jareth could protest, Niflhel lifted her hands pointed them in the direction of Jareth. He was pulled forward and lifted into the air, his face showing visible signs of pain. Niflhel's eyes were pure white and harsh as she enveloped Jareth's heart in ice and squeezed it tight. Jareth could hardly breathe, but only one thought was looping through his head. _Sarah, I'm sorry. I love you. Sarah, I'm sorry…_

"STOP IT! STOP IT! JUST PUT HIM DOWN!"

The noise of Sarah's voice resounding through the room made Niflhel drop Jareth into a heap. She turned her eyes to Sarah, who stood forward in her armour and tried to look powerful. _If I am going to die now, I have to say this. NOW!_

"How dare you!"

"Oh," Niflhel laughed, "It speaks. No, go on dear." She leant back, amused.

"How dare all of you! Family is supposed to be the one group of people in the world that are on your side no matter what, that help you and never judge you, that love you always. You are all the most disgusting creatures I have ever seen, and I saw your son when he was at his worst. You turned him into a monster, a killing machine, and ignored him out of your family. You can do what you like to me now, but nothing you ever do will touch me, because I can rest assured that whatever you put me through is nowhere near as bad as having to be _any_ of _you!_"

When Sarah finished the room fell silent, but the silence was soon broken by Ulric's slow and taunting clapping that echoed round the room. He rose from the throne. "I cannot say that I care much about your opinion, but what you said has made me reconsider my own. I thought I wanted you as my slave, but I think I would prefer you dead than have to listen to you for eternity. Jareth will not die first – you will."

Sarah stepped back and screamed as Ulric directed his wolves at her, but before she could run she had been pushed to the ground by Jareth, who lay over her as a barrier. Tears from his eyes soaked into her hair, and they in turn made her cry. The wolves descended on Jareth's back and began to claw at his armour, soon slashing through to his skin. Believing it to be his last chance, Jareth whimpered into Sarah's ear.

"_I always loved you, and I always will, wherever I go. I'm sorry. Sarah, I am so sorry._"

Overcome with sorrow, Sarah sobbed back.

"_Never apologise to me ever again. The times I had here were the only time I truly felt in the real world._"

Jareth gripped Sarah tightly as the wolves began to try to drag his body from Sarah's, but suddenly the tugging stopped, and the pair were left alone on the floor.

"Oh, really. What now?" Anastas complained, throwing her arms up angrily.

What Jareth and Sarah had not seen was that Labrynthe had entered the room and thrown the wolves from Jareth's back, smashing them against the wall with her magic and making them evaporate. Niflhel hissed at her but pulled back; she could feel the strange power discharging from the golden maiden. Jareth and Sarah looked up and saw Labrynthe, praying she was on their side and confused about where she had been.

"What do you want?" Ulric asked abruptly. Labrynthe stood tall.

"I want this all to stop – now. I have put up with you for long enough."

Anastas looked quizzically at Ulric.

"I thought we sent her in to spy on that stupid little man?"

"As did I, dear. It looks like we have been betrayed. She had been so useless lately I had almost forgotten her."

Labrynthe scoffed. "If you cared enough about Jareth then you would have watched me more closely."

Niflhel hissed again. "What do you want, rogue?" She raised her hand portentously, but nothing happened to Labrynthe, who laughed loudly in response.

"Witch, I am strong enough to withstand you meagre magic, for I am the Keeper of the Source."

Ulric groaned. "Yes, we know – we appointed you. What do you want here?"

Labrynthe frowned. "_I want to make you pay._"

And with a sweep of her hand, the three most powerful faes in the Underground were thrown against the throne room wall and tied to the wall by magical gold shackles. Niflhel instantly attempted to freeze the chains and smash them, but try as they might, none of their inferior magic could save them. Anastas furiously yelled, "Where did you get powers such as these?!"

"Fools!" Labrynthe replied, ""You do not understand the mistake you made! When I was the Keeper of the Source I was exposed to the Source every day for hundreds of years. As time went by, I felt the power of the Source enter my body. I became attuned to the way the Labyrinth functioned, the way it felt. It is a living, breathing thing, and now we are one. I can feel everything it feels, and it despises you!

"I knew Jareth was channelling all of the Source's terrible power, and I felt the Labyrinth's pain every time he forced it into a new shape or killed one of its inhabitants. I hoped that one day I would get the chance for revenge against you both for doing that to him and the Labyrinth, so I began to scheme. All the bad power was being channelled to Jareth through your pendant, but the rest of the power was mine. I could not battle Jareth alone – we were two sides of the same coin. I wanted to free him from your disgusting spell, but I needed help.

"Then one day, Sarah Williams wished her baby brother away. I could see that Jareth was in love with Sarah, so I put all of my strength into controlling the Source's power so that she might be spared. It was not easy, but I was very powerful by this point. When he began to obsess over her again, I made sure that on her return her life was spared once more. I had stored up every ounce of energy since her last visit so that she might live; it was not easy controlling the Source, especially when it was battling against Love. I hatched a plan – I teamed up with Hoggle to gain his trust so that when we got to Sarah I could convince her to steal the pendant. The plan worked perfectly; when the pendant was destroyed everyone was freed of the Source. Every one, except me…"

Here, Labrynthe's eyes fogged. The faes looked on in horror as the truth of the situation began to dawn on them.

"I was suddenly exposed to all the power of the Source, but I soon found that I was able to _harness_ all the power. At a price."

Jareth and Sarah, now stood opposite Labrynthe, looked on in half-realisation.

"What price?" interjected Sarah.

Labrynthe turned to face Sarah.

"It is too much magic for one person to bear. I am both all the good and all the evil." Labrynthe turned to Jareth and spoke softly. "If I do nothing, the power will consume me and I could hurt others; I would waste it all. However, I have the power to destroy them, Jareth, but it will destroy me too. Either way, I have to go."

Jareth responded urgently. "No, no. You are not dying here Labrynthe. I owe you too much!"

"I have no choice Jareth! It's either stop them, or they kill you! And I can't have that happen."

"Why?!"

Sarah swallowed and answered for Labrynthe.

"Because she loves you Jareth."

Jareth's mouth fell open, and it would have been comic were it not for the context.

"This is priceless! Why on earth do hopeless women keep falling for my pathetic-

Labrynthe used her magic to gag Anastas and the rest. She smiled sadly at Jareth.

"You never had the capacity to love while you were being ruled by them, but somehow Sarah did it; she made you love. I tried for so long to save you and make you love me, but now I know I can't save us both, and I have to save you – for Sarah."

Jareth left Sarah's side and paced to Labrynthe.

"No, Labrynthe, there has to be a way!"

She flushed at Jareth's touch, but turned away. "There is no way; I've lived for too long waiting to wait forever for you. Get back. Now."

Labrynthe pushed Jareth away and turned to the faes.

"STOP!"

Sarah surprised everyone by calling out in defence of the faes.

"Don't you see? If you kill them, you are as bad as them! My mother died, and even though she was a terrible mother I would never have wished it on her. No matter how bad parents are, no one deserves this. Jareth, you only get one family. Are you sure about this?"

Jareth, foggy-eyed and shaking violently, turned to his mother. Labrynthe loosened her gag.

"Mother, why did you do it? Why put me through all this?"

Anastas looked shocked and grew pale.

"The Underground has no place for kind faes. You would have been eaten alive by your peers, and I would have been the laughing stock."

Jareth moaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Did you really think I was going to murder them all?" Labrynthe spoke out, her voice laced with shock. Jareth's brow furrowed.

"You said you wanted to destroy them."

"You said you wanted to destroy Sarah. That never involved murder."

Realisation dawned on Sarah. _Of course...the best way to stop them…_

"You are going to make them powerless."

Labrynthe turned to the faes once more, tears in her eyes.

"Jareth, Sarah, I want you to think on me with fondness, and remember me in the Labyrinth. And Jareth, forgive me for what I am about to do."

Before Jareth could cry out to her, Labrynthe became a brilliant gold, luminescent and blinding, and a bright vortex formed around her. She thrust her hands in the direction of Jareth and he felt a surge of warm light pour into him, the purest magic he had ever felt. His hair and skin shone, his eyes brighter than ever, and soon he was levitating in the air aglow with the magic of the Labyrinth. However, the magic once again moved and poured out of Jareth and onto the floor below him, forging itself into a little pendant in the shape of the Labyrinth. The metal chinked on the floor before him, and when he returned to the ground he picked it up and hung it around his neck. When he looked at Labrynthe, she had changed again. She was completely pitch black, and a dark cloud swirled around her as all the cruel and evil elements of the Source poured from her body. Reflected in the mist, Jareth could see flashes of all the cruel deeds he had once done, and he finally felt that they were leaving him forever.

The three faes on the wall looked on in muted horror as they awaited their fate, but what they soon discovered was that the black cloud began to pull out of them and pour into the miasma surrounding Labrynthe. They struggled in fear but nothing could retain their powers, and soon enough they fell to the floor in a heap, utterly powerless and stripped of their ability.

Labrynthe was now high in the centre of the room surrounded by a dense black smog that was charged with red electricity. Jareth and Sarah clung to each other and yelled at Labrynthe to stop, but it was too late. With a final look at Jareth with a pair of red, blood-shot eyes, Labrynthe looked to the sky and cried out in pain. The black cloud entered her body again, but it was too much for her to bear, so in a second Labrynthe collapsed in on herself and dissolved into a black, glittery substance that flew out into the Labyrinth, where the inhabitants became confused by the sudden disappearance of wolves and the strange ashes falling from the sky. Labrynthe finally became one with her beloved Labyrinth.

The atmosphere in the throne room was anti-climactic and uncomfortable. Jareth and Sarah were still clinging to one another, both crying and shaking, and the faes were still on the floor, mortified at the loss of their power. Jareth on the other hand felt stronger than ever with his new pendant. All the good power in the Labyrinth was around his neck, being channeled from nowhere, and he was his own agent. He let go of Sarah and turned on his diminished family.

"Mother, father, sister, I am sending you all away. I never want to hear or see you again, unless it is on my terms. Get out of my sight."

Anastas called out, "Son!" but Jareth blinked and the faes were gone. _It might be forever until we see each other again. Not long at all…_

* * *

**AN: OH GOODNESS I finally wrote this. This has been so hard to orchestrate – twists aren't really my thing. Is this a twist? Who knows. There is still lots more to come so stay tuned, and please review – I really want to know what you think about this chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

**XXV – Home At Last**

Sarah and Jareth were alone again.

There was not much that either could say to one another as they stood, laden in armour, in the heart of the throne room. There had been no climax for them; the battle had been outside, and within the tower the only one who had had their revenge had been Labrynthe, and it had cost her her life. Jareth stared as if through the floor and his eyes were foggy and tight looking. Sarah's heart was pounding in her chest and she felt like it would explode out of her ears. _What? Is that it? Oh god, Labrynthe. She gave herself away so that I…but do I even want…I guess it's over now…_

Jareth finally spoke.

"It's over. For now."

Sarah nodded, and silence descended again. The only sounds Sarah could pin point were the light dripping of melting snow falling from the roof of the room, the faint sounds of goblins outside, and her own heart. It was as if the world outside the castle was paused and they were stuck in limbo, just waiting to deal with everything they felt.

A wail resounded from the courtyard and restarted Sarah's heart.

"LILY!" _How did I forget?_

Without a moment's hesitation Sarah threw herself to the window and was followed instantly by Jareth. Below them they could see several silhouettes of wolves being chased out of the city by goblins with pitchforks; even though they were only the ghosts of the magic that had once existed, the goblins wanted their last moments of glory before the battle ended. The snow was melting all around the city where Labrynthe's ashes had fallen, so some goblins actually slid after them. Sarah then spotted a sobbing Lily hunched over what she could only assume was Froud. _Shit!_ An audible sob emitted from Sarah's lips as her hands gripped the window, but before she could cry Jareth had grabbed her by the waist and had jumped from the room. Instead of falling to the ground and smashing their legs on the stone, they floated gracefully to the floor. Sarah looked up at Jareth in awe but he was looking intently and painfully at Froud.

When they reached the ground, Lily stood up and threw herself into Sarah's arms.

"He did it for me! He- he- he saved me! And now he's gone! And I can't save him!" She buried her wet face into Sarah's hair and let her tears take over._ Oh Froud…Froud…Why did it have to be him?_ Partly consoling herself, Sarah soothed Lily and stroked her hair, murmuring, "It's okay, Lily, it's okay. He always wanted to be a hero, Lil. You made him one."

"Then I _killed him_!"

"No – no! Stop it. No one died because of us!" She swallowed remorsefully as she recalled Labrynthe dissolving.

Ludo moaned sadly beside Hoggle, who with folded arms tried desperately to hide his true sadness. Sir Didymus had removed his hat and did his best to comfort Ludo.

Sarah turned her head from Lily's ear, not used to seeing her vulnerable and upset, and was shocked by what she saw.

Jareth had left her side and was sat beside what Sarah could tell was Froud, but he looked different. He was a man. Sarah gasped as Jareth stroked the fuzzy blonde hair from Froud's closed eyes and then took his new pendant in his hands, closing them around the gold and squeezing. A bright and blinding light shone from between his fingers as he lowered his hands onto Froud's chest. Jareth then pushed down on Froud's chest as if to resuscitate him, and an electric bolt jolted through his now human body. Lily heard and swung around, screaming at him to leave the body alone. Sarah restrained her and watched in amazement as Froud's eyes opened and a loud noise escaped from his mouth. It sounded somewhere between a gasp and a cry, but it was a noise that signaled his continuing life. All around people gasped; Ludo uttered a 'hurh?', Didymus spluttered and Hoggle's grumpy eyes widened.

Lily dropped to her knees next to Jareth, mouth and eyes wide, and gawped as Froud sat up and blinked, clutching his side.

"Oh I feel like death…ugh..uh…huh?" Froud took in his surroundings and blinked. "Am I dead?"

Sarah began to giggle exhaustedly and Lily laughed sweet tears and put her hand on his cheek.

"Nowhere near." She blushed. "Thank you Froud, for everything. These past few days have been crazy, and I couldn't have done it without you."

"Nor I, good Sir Froud. You are a true knight, and I bow to thee." Didymus bowed gracefully and barked. Ludo moved happily on the spot and Hoggle grunted, "Ye were a great soldier, boy."

Froud beamed and looked up at Jareth. "You saved me."

"You fought for me. Well, mainly for her." He looked at Lily and nodded.

Sarah held her arms and smiled as Lily and Froud leaned into one another and exchanged a beautiful kiss, a kiss that made everyone cheer and Hoggle 'hmph' bashfully. Her smile broke, however, when she turned to Jareth, who was staring morosely at her. He started when her eyes met her and looked away quickly, off into the Goblin City. It was odd, but Sarah could have sworn that he was glowing. He looked more ethereal than ever, as if he was made of crystals.

When Lily freed Froud Sarah knelt beside him and embraced her dear friend. She muttered in his ear, "Faking death to miss the battle, lion-boy? I knew you were a coward." Froud chuckled and pushed her back. "Oh, and you of course let Jareth fight for you, yeah?" They both grinned manically and Sarah stroked Froud's new hair.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I thought we wouldn't have any casualties…I heard Lily and thought you were gone too…"

Froud's face darkened. "Who…?"

"Labrynthe," Sarah sighed. "She sacrificed herself for us all; she took all of the faes' magic away but she couldn't contain it. It's hard to explain…"

Lily had been talking quietly to Jareth about what had happened. Sensing Sarah did not want to talk about it, she returned to Froud. "Come on, I'll tell you. Let's get you up first though!" Lily put both her arms under Froud's shoulders and hoisted him up, causing everyone to cheer.

Deciding to let the celebrations begin without her, Sarah took the stairs and began to make her way up to her room. As she passed through the different chambers of the castle she sighed; almost her entire being wanted her to live here and knew that she could if she was to accept Jareth. _I can't…I just can't…_

Finally in her chamber she pulled the armour from her tired, aching body and laid it carefully back into the box before pulling her jeans and sweater back on. Sighing loudly, she fell back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her arm until all she could see was green. She pushed her arm into her face so that her eye lids turned many different colours, just like she used to when she was a child. _I have to go back. I have to have a normal life. I can't let this slip out of my control…I can't…_

"Am I interrupting?" Jareth was stood in the doorway and smirking meekly at the display.

"No, not really. Come join." She beckoned him in with her free arm.

Jareth, who had changed into his grey and white attire, padded to the bed and slumped down next to her, staring at the ceiling. He felt full to burst with emotion, and Sarah knew; when she peaked out from under her sleeve she could see the tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Just tell me what's wrong, other than the obvious."

He expelled a staggered sigh as if he might cry, and moaned, "I let someone else die…Had I been this powerful then, I might have saved her."

Sarah turned to face him.

"Look, it wasn't your fault. I think she _wanted _to die. Hundreds of years is a long time to live, Jareth. Don't you ever get tired?"

He laughed.

"I am always weary, Sarah."

An odd feeling of pity and affection swelled in Sarah's throat, so she lay back and held his hand in hers. A powerful friendship based on respect, mutual experience and kindred spirit-hood was forming without either of their control, and although Sarah did not want to encourage Jareth she could not help squeeze his hand tightly. She remembered the soft sound of his voice singing her song, but it was tainted by its origin.

"With time you will understand her. I think I do…"

The pair lay across the bed, hands held and eyes closed, utterly exhausted and confused with how to proceed. Luckily, Jareth had some inspiration.

"I think I might have a ball this evening. It has been a long time since I have had one. Around five years…this time I want to do it properly, with the right guests. I will throw it for Froud and Labrynthe…"

A knock at the door made Sarah and Jareth jump from the bed and break hands. Lily came dancing in, flushed and grinning.

"Jareth, I have a big question to ask you!"

"Go on," he said gruffly, scratching his head tiredly.

The words almost burst out of her mouth, "Please can I live here? Please? I wish the goblins would let me live here, right now!"

Unable to contain his amusement, Jareth cackled.

"Anyone who makes my knights so happy is welcome to stay. We shall be happy to have you."

"Yay! Oh thank you!"

Sarah frantically butted in, twisting her hair.

"But Lily, what about your studies? And your family?"

"Ah, I barely see them, and I can visit right?" Jareth nodded. "So what's the fuss? It's just like moving house!"

"And your education?"

"I won't need it! I only ever took Literature for the escapism, and now I can actually escape!"

Sarah clutched her forehead, which Jareth saw and began to worry. _Oh…she has no intention of staying…she can't wait to leave…_

Pretending he had not realised, he tried to proceed with the plan.

"So, I suppose I should escort you both back so Lily can pack and you can dress for the ball?"

"There's going to be a _BALL_? Uh, this is heaven!"

Like a child exposed to too much sugar, Lily grinned widely and jumped on the spot. Sarah tried to avoid eye contact with either of them and wrung her hands. Jareth smiled at Lily and took her hand as well as Sarah's. In a second they were gone, and a sad cloud of grey was left lingering. _This might have been the last time I had Sarah in the Labyrinth_…

Sarah felt her feet hit the ground and she found that they had landed in her bedroom. Everything looked the same. Her bed was still unmade, there was coffee on the floor from when Lily had found Sarah gone and The Cure was still in the record player. She expected to be happy to see it all again, but although a touch of nostalgia entered her heart, the scene before her reeked of painful banality. She picked up a cushion from her bed and began to twist the corners.

Jareth took instant fascination in the album collection on Sarah's shelf and sat in a bean bag beside it; he perused the catalogue as if he had never seen anything so interesting. Sarah would have found the Goblin King sat cross-legged in her bean bag endearing where she not so afraid of thinking about him affectionately.

Lily meanwhile had excitedly begun to throw her items into boxes that had been under her bed. "I just have no idea what to wear tonight! What are you going to wear Sarah?"

"Um, I'm not entirely sure I'm going to go, Lil, actually. I'm just, like, really tired and want to sleep."

Jareth's heart stopped and he paused on Spandau Ballet.

Mid-clothes-throw, Lily stopped and glared at Sarah. Their eyes locked, Sarah questioning Lily faux-innocently with a glance and Lily scalding her with hers.

"Can I see you in the hallway? _Now_?"

She stomped over to Sarah and grabbed her arm, pulling her outside and making her drop the cushion. "See you in a minute Jareth, yeah?" He looked up sadly.

Once in the hallway Lily pushed the door shut.

"Ouch! What the hell?"

"Oh you know what! How can you do this to him? He just wants to throw an amazing party – throw him a bone Sarah! Look at the amazing days we've had! You could have that all the time if you lived with him!"

"But I don't want that every day! I just want to be normal again – that's who I am! 'Mediocre name, mediocre life'! I have nothing to offer the Labyrinth, or him, and I can't handle it! I just can't do this every day – I don't have it in me."

"Sarah, look, why don't you just try - for him? When was the last time you had a man like him, or even a boyfriend?"

Sarah began to pace backwards and forwards across the landing.

"Life is not about finding a boyfriend – I'm fine on my own. I'm not sure I even believe in relationships anyway. I mean, look at my Dad. Two failed marriages later he's just miserable and -

"How can you be saying this to me, at a time like this? How is this supportive?"

Sarah's brow furrowed. "What, is this about Froud? Just because a man makes you happy doesn't mean everyone-

"Urgh, Sarah don't you see? I've got the chance there to live everything I love! All those books I read fill the void of the mundane cesspit that is this world. Froud is the only man I've ever really noticed, and it may work – it may not – but I have to try, because I'll only regret it otherwise."

She raised her eyebrows at Sarah suggestively.

"What are you saying Lily?"

"I'm saying that you're making a huge mistake. What about your friends? They will want to see you again!"

Although Sarah's heart banged at the mention of her beloved friends, Sarah folded her arms.

"I know what I'm doing. Besides, they'll only try to guilt me into staying."

"But how on earth could you say no-

Sarah slammed her hand against the corridor wall and it shook, making Jareth jump in the bedroom. Having quickly assessed how the record player worked, he lowered the needle down onto his chosen record and then stood up and pressed his ear against the wall.

…_So true funny how it seems  
__Always in time, but never in line for dreams…_

Outside, he heard Sarah talk angrily.

"Lily! Don't you get it, don't you see? If I say yes, how could I ever look myself in the mirror? How could I say yes to the man who once begged me to love him? I know my experience of love is somewhat lacking but I know for sure that love does _not_ depend on one person giving in. Love is mutual and shared-

"Do you love him, though?"

…_Head over heels when toe to toe.  
__This is the sound of my soul…_

The question rendered Sarah mute, and Lily triumphant.

"Of course you love him, you're just too proud to accept it. You're taking for granted that Jareth loves you dearly and in the end you'll be the most hurt. I don't care what you say, but I am staying with Froud; when will I ever get this lucky again?"

"So you're saying I should stay here in case I end up alone forever?"

…_I bought a ticket to the world,  
__But now I've come back again…_

"NO! For god's sake, I'm saying if you drop your stupid notions of self-righteousness then you might realise that you could be really happy for the first time ever. Jareth doesn't want to rule you anymore; he wants to be with you on your terms, and that means no rushing." Lily grew bold and pushed further. _If I can just get her to the ball…_ "If you have any shred of gratitude for what he did for you today, you'll go to him and apologise for what you said. It was cruel. Just go to the ball, Sarah."

Sarah frowned furiously.

…_Oh I want the truth to be said…_

"I will not do what he wants, especially with the added pressure of a dead girl! He has no power over me!"

Lily stood back and her expression became bleak.

…_This is the sound of my soul…_

"Who are you?"

Beyond the corridor wall, Jareth heard Sarah's words. _I suppose it ends here then. I have been such a fool…_

…_This is the sound..._

Lily, utterly rejecting of Sarah, turned away and went back into her bedroom. She was met by the sight of Jareth leaning his hands and head on the wall. He looked up and his down-turned mouth said it all for him.

"Jareth, I'm so sorry."

"What's said is said…We need to leave."

Lily nodded, still livid and desperate to depart. "Can you, you know, like, magic this stuff away?"

And along with all of Lily's possessions, they were gone.

In the hallway where Sarah had clenched her fists against the wall she saw a flash of light from under her door so she dashed into the room. The room was emptier than ever and Lily, her things and Jareth had vanished.

…_Why do I find it hard to write the next line…_

Finally alone for good, Sarah walked to her bed and pulled the covers around her, ignoring the numbness spreading in her veins.

…_Oh I want the truth to be said…_

She walked to the shelves and rooted out the reading for her next seminar, subconsciously slipping into her natural routine again.

…_Huh huh huh hu-uh huh  
__I know this much is true…_

Sat on her bed, Sarah opened _King Horn_ and read it aloud to block out her raging thoughts.

…_This much is true…_

Tears began to drip onto the pages.

"None is fairer than he was; He was bright as the glass, He was white as the flower, Rose-red was his colour. He was fair and also bold…" Sarah tempestuously threw the book across the room.

"_**Urgh! Why can't I just accept it? I love him!**_"

…_I know, I know, I know this much is true…_

* * *

**AN: Who loves a bit of eighties bliss? Spandau Ballet's 'True' can never be played too much – I listened to it whilst writing this chapter and it got me through a tough chapter to write. I did not want to dwell on things for too long but I did not want to rush it. Anyway, here it is. I'd love you to review and let me know what you would have done in Sarah's situation!**


	26. Chapter 26

**XXVI – In the Next Room**

Sarah had soon discovered that although Jareth had captured her on Saturday night she had only been away for twenty four hours, and so she would have to return to class the following day. As a result she lay in bed until the early hours trying to read King Horn. Usually, this particular type of typical medieval romance would have irritated her, with its damsels and unrealistic character description, but tonight nothing made her feel anything. She read the words, but they meant nothing to her; they passed through her like a ghost. Shutting the final page, Sarah dropped the book on the floor and lay back in her bed, wondering if when she woke up everything would be normal again. Lily would be back; they would shovel down breakfast and dash to class ready to moan about the anti-feminist aspects of the latest text. _Not this week_, Sarah thought bitterly_, this week Lily will be…_the thought petered out. She could not even be angry at the fact her friend had betrayed her, because deep down she was jealous of what she had been able to do. _She gave up everything…her prospects…her family…me…_

Pulling the duvet over her head, Sarah closed her eyes firmly shut to block out the light. She pushed her hands over her eyes and moved them until she saw stars on the inside of her eye lids, but soon she became reminded of how magical it looked. She moved her hands away, and all she could see in her mind's eye was him. Sarah opened her eyes and rolled on her side. _Oh no…no…not now. I can't…_ the guilt she felt when she pictured Jareth's distraught face was too painful, so she shot up and put on a record to sooth her. Almost everything she considered was too much to do with love, so she skimmed through her collection a few times until she settled on Duran Duran. She lowered the needle and closed her eyes in melancholic bliss.

…_Even on the darkest night when empty promise means empty hand  
And soldiers coming home like shadows turning red…  
And when the lights of hope are fading quickly then look to me  
I'll be your homing angel I'll be in your head…_

Returning to her bed, Sarah flicked off the light and tried to map out what she would do the next day. _I can't just go back to normal…I've lose my only friend…_Lily really had been Sarah's closest companion, and although she had acquaintances, it depressed her to think that she had left her best friends in the…she would not allow herself to think about it.

…_Because you're lonely in your nightmare let me in  
And there's heat beneath your winter let me in…_

She began to dread the seminar that was to occur the next day. _What am I going to tell everyone? That Lily has gone? Died? Run away? Everyone will know something is wrong with me…and I'll have nothing to say about the book…_ Sarah huffed and rubbed her tired eyes before descending into the folds of her blankets again.

…_I see the delta traces living lonely out on the limb  
And a passing glimmer warm beneath your skin  
Please tread gently on the ground when all around you earth turns to fire  
Only get a second chance when danger's on the wind…_

Sarah drifted into sleep, but somewhere in her subconscious the song went on.

…_Must be lucky whether when you find the kind of wind that you need  
Come on show me all the light and shade that made your name  
I know you've got it in your head I've seen that look before  
You've built your refuge turns you captive all the same…_

Meanwhile, far, far away, another tune was sounding out through a goblin-filled castle and echoing across the peaceful wilderness of the Labyrinth. In the large, glittering ballroom a celebration was in full swing. Huge chandeliers blooming with crystals lit the magnificent enclosure and the light reflected through the glass like a disco ball. All of the goblins that could fit in the space were milling about, drinking from tankards and goblets and generally causing havoc. Hoggle and Didymus were sat around a large table drinking mead and uncomfortably avoiding discussing Sarah's abrupt departure; no one had said anything about it – they had only seen Lily and Jareth return, the former fuming and the latter close to tears. Other more grounded and serious goblins were at their table playing cards with them.

In the center of the room stood Lily dressed in a long blue iridescent dress that had a frosty white mesh across the shoulders. She was swaying gently in the arms of an exceedingly well dressed Froud. Proudly dressed in his military attire, his soft blonde hair flicked across his forehead as they swept across the floor. His coat was navy blue and bore the royal crest, and he wore a similar kind of boot to Jareth, who was sat towards the back of the room nursing a large goblet of wine, alone. He had not bothered to dress up for the occasion; instead, he opted to let Lily and Froud steal the show. He leant back in his chair, leg swung over its side, sipping his tipple and watching morosely through narrow eyes as the couple danced to that song, _his_ song – his song for _her_. _This was for her…it was all for her, always…I've been a fool to think Sarah could ever love a monster like me…she is far too precious for me…_

He drained his glass and tossed it onto the table beside him before swinging out of his chair and staggering from the room. It would be late into the night before anyone would realise he had gone.

In the moonlight of the Labyrinth everything seemed so much gloomier to Jareth, who had grabbed the remainder of the flagon and was drawing on it frequently. The Goblin City was empty except for him; the windows of the little houses were dark and misted up, the shadows of the walls fell across the streets as the crystalline moon cast its light upon the stones. He shuffled through the dark courtyard and arrived at the grand fountain, which since the battle with Sarah _so many years ago_ had looked rather broken and bare. _Just like me…_Suddenly feeling furious at his self-indulgent melancholy, he thought on Labrynthe and how she would have rather died than live without him anymore. He let out a sob at the memory of her evaporating before him and clutched his head, dropping the bottle without breaking it. In a flash of passion, he lifted his hands and forged a golden flame in his hands before thrusting the glow at the fountain. The stone plinth in the center began to grow and morphed itself into the figure of a woman, stood proud and tall, a goblin walking beside her and Jareth's old pendant hung around her neck. She became illuminated in gold as the water burst from the busted taps and beautiful golden lilies flourished on the surface of the water. Jareth looked up at Labrynthe's face; for him, she represented all the pain he felt in love.

Overcome with sadness and tiredness, Jareth sat down before the fountain and emptied the bottle beside him before slouching back and falling finally into the first proper sleep he had had in hundreds of years. As he slept, the party went on late into the night. It was only when a restless Ludo out on a night-time stroll that Jareth was discovered and carried sleeping back to his private chambers. It was as if for the first time he was really eighteen, love sick and horrifically inebriated.

* * *

Sarah awoke earlier than usual and sat up in her bed, alone and dejected. The room still felt newly empty and she could not handle not hearing someone else sleep in the bed beside her. During the course of the previous night she had contemplated pushing the beds together, but she could not accept that she was alone. _Stop it. Stop it. There is nothing wrong with being alone. I was alone before Toby, I was alone before Lily. I can be alone_… Pulling on a pair of dark jeans, a brown jumper, coat and some black boots, Sarah threw a few items into a back pack and left her room, ignoring her hair and face. She walked to the white-washed empty student kitchen and set up some coffee to take in her flask. The dry strip light flickered above her erratically and illuminated the mountains of filthy cutlery and crockery. While the kettle was boiling she sought out an apple, but biting into it she found it was powdery and tasteless, so she tossed it in the bin and blocked out the thought of Underground fruit and its endless taste. Coffee packed, she ignored breakfast and set off for class. Down the stairs and outside she saw that the sky was grey and that the sun hung behind the mist like a white disc. The air was so thick and cold that she pulled her jumper around her neck. _Of course; everything would have to be grey…_The ground was slippery and still frozen from the night before, and the lamp posts were still lit even though the morning lit provided enough of a glow.

The large structure that housed most of the humanities seminar rooms was a hideous hark to sixties architecture and every time Sarah saw it she felt instantly oppressed and depressed. All of the windows were fogged with condensation and as Sarah entered it she was hit by a wall of dense, hot but not warming air. Her hair stuck to her face uncompromisingly and she could feel it cling to the back of her neck. _Why don't they ever sort the heating out in this place?_ Turning into seminar room 003, she saw that she was the last one in except Lily. Mr Scales had been stalling and waiting for her, so he lit up slightly when she arrived.

"Ah, Sarah, we were beginning to worry. But where is Lily?"

Sarah dumped her bag in front of a chair and slumped into it. "She's a bit under the" …_ground…_ "weather," she replied awkwardly.

"I see. Well, let's press on. King Horn isn't going to discuss itself."

* * *

Warm, gentle light seeped routinely through the shutters of the castle windows and stretched across Jareth's sleeping face, making him stir and stick his head under a pillow. His head throbbed from the night before and all of his limbs were tired with misery. All he wanted to do was stay in his cocoon of self-loathing, but soon enough he heard a tap at the door and heard some slippered-feet shuffle across the room to his bed.

"Rise and shine?"

_Coffee..._Jareth sniffed the air.

"I brought you coffee. Come on, get up."

Groaning, Jareth lifted his head and saw Lily sat next to him dressed in a pair of jeans and a hideous vintage jumper.

"You can't mope forever."

He scoffed. "I am far more patient than most. Forever is not so long." Pulling himself up and crossing his legs, Jareth took the crystal cup from Lily and drew on the contents. Lily smiled triumphantly, worried about Jareth's creased eyes and pale face.

"I would ask how you were holding up, but I can guess. You had quite the night, I hear. Real smooth."

Jareth frowned and scratched his blond locks. "Oh, do not start. I have not felt this bad…ever."

Lily's face fell. "Neither have I."

Jareth's eyebrows rose higher than ever. "What? Why? You have everything."

Sighing, Lily sipped on her own coffee. "I am so confused – I feel so happy and so sad all at the same time. I am so lucky to be here and have the chance of this wonderful life, but at the same time…I'd give anything to see Sarah again…"

Jareth felt a pain in his chest that began to expand. "And I, Lily."

They both sat morosely and kept their eyes down, staring intently at their drinks.

"Can't you go and see her or something? Beg for her to come back?"

He expelled air between his teeth. "Believe me Lily, I tried begging once before." Lily's eyes turned grave.

"Then try again."

* * *

When the hour was up Sarah slowly packed her notebook and pens away, taking her time since she had nothing to do but study. It had been a fairly average seminar; they had discussed the duality of good and evil and compared King Horn to Sir Orfeo, but all in all Sarah had been bored by it and had barely contributed. Mr Scales had noticed, and asked her to remain behind on the pretext of discussing a paper. When the room was empty, he asked Sarah to close the door.

"Sarah, I know something is wrong. Where is Lily really?"

Sarah fought back tears. "She left. Went off with some guy."

Mr Scales grimaced. "Is he safe, is he good to her?"

Sarah immediately pictured Froud jumping in front of Lily to shield her from a wolf and she softened.

"He's great actually…one of the best guys ever…"

"Well then, at least she is safe. It's a shame about her studies…and I suppose she is not coming back?"

"Definitely not. She made that very clear."

"Ah. Well, at some point the course administrator will need to process her withdrawal."

"Good luck getting her to sign the documentation."

"Yes…I rather think I should just admit defeat now." He grinned meekly, his eyes wrinkling.

Sarah sighed and tried to smile back, but failed to convince him.

"I can tell there is more to this than Lily, Sarah. I may be old and awful at comforting people, but you can tell me."

Sarah looked into the kind eyes of the man who had introduced her to feminist theory, who had consistently given her first class marks and who always lit up when she was in his seminar, and broke down.

"I don't know what to do anymore!" she released, and sat back down in a heap in the nearby chair. "I am so torn with what to do with my life…" She tried to phrase her predicament carefully. "I've been given an offer to move to the most amazing place – with Lily, in fact – and everything would be paid for, I'd have to do nothing at all. There is someone else there…someone who used to be really cruel to me but now loves me. A part of me loves him too, and I want to give up everything to see him again, but another part of me can't bear giving in. I would be in his world, in his life, and have no life of my own."

Mr Scales was rather taken aback by Sarah's candid response, but processed it quickly nonetheless and almost seemed to know exactly how to handle it.

"Sarah, surely if this man loves you then he will want you to have your own life?"

"I guess so, but how can I? I'll be unqualified, I'm only twenty one and I've never had a proper job…"

"Who are you worrying about here? Yourself or everyone else?"

Sarah hesitated and finally expelled in frustration, "I don't know!" before burying her face in her hands. "Everything here now just feels so…grey…"

Mr Scales furrowed his grizzled brow and wrapped his fingers around his chin thoughtfully. "Do you remember on Friday when I was rambling on about Sir Orfeo?"

Sarah rose from her hands. "Yeah. It kinda stuck with me actually." _The queen might have preferred to stay…_

"Well, I think I was wrong when I focused too much on the theme of power. Sometimes in life it doesn't matter where the power _seems_ to be, Sarah, so long as you know where it actually is. You might feel that the only thing stopping you is what other people think, but contemplate stories. People like me make it their profession to read too far into words." He chuckled and rubbed his left eye. "In stories it is fun to read between the lines, but at the end of the day it's just speculation. Only the author knows what they intended for their characters. You are the author of your own life Sarah. If we went through life only looking at how things appear, then we would get nowhere."

Sarah gasped in realisation and uttered in response,

"_The way forward is sometimes the way back_."

Mr Scales looked at Sarah, puzzled. "I'm sorry – I don't follow."

Sarah laughed and put her hand on her forehead. "I've been thinking that I need to proceed in _this_ world in the normal way, pushing forward, but it's just setting me back. I'll never get anywhere unless I listen to what I think is the right way."

Sarah frantically began to gather her coat and bag.

"Sarah." She paused. "Where is this place you are going?"

"I can't really say."

Mr Scales nodded knowingly. "I thought as much. I'll let you go then." He stopped for a moment. "I'll miss you in my class."

Sarah looked up. "What do you mean?"

Mr Scales looked woeful and pensive as he rose. "I can tell you are on the cusp of the greatest adventure of your life, and I doubt I will be seeing you next seminar. Or ever again, for that matter."

Sarah felt heavy with sadness. "Sir, I don't even know if I'm going yet."

He chuckled again. "Please, call me John. I can't stand 'sir'. And I know that you will leave one way or another. Here, let me embrace you. It has been an honour teaching you Sarah Williams."

A sad smile written on her face, Sarah pulled to John and gave him a daughterly embrace. "_Say hello to the King for me_," he whispered in her ear.

Shock caused Sarah to convulse away from John. "_What did you say_?"

Chuckling, John went to his desk to retrieve his items. "Oh nothing…let's just say I only transferred to teach here recently. It was about five years ago now…before then, I was somewhere much further away."

Frozen to the spot and legs shaking, Sarah replied slowly, "Where? Where were you?"

John rubbed his glasses with a handkerchief. "It was a very fine place; serene, in fact. The moon looked like it was made of crystal…I spent my entire life there, hidden in the depths of a dark city, studying literature and wishing to be free. I was sent there as a child, you see, by very cruel brothers. When I met the ruler I was very afraid, but he loved games and I made a bet with him; I said if he was ever beaten then he must set me free, and he agreed. Foolishly, I might add, because one day you, my dear,"

Sarah's eyes overflowed in realisation and her mouth drooped open slightly.

"You came and set me free. My champion. So how wonderful was it that I should find your name on this year's enrolment list?"

"What are you saying, John?" she choked back more tears.

"I am saying that _I know_. I know where you have been; I can smell that place a mile off."

She blushed and felt exposed, as if her worlds were merging again.

"If this man, as you say, is no longer cruel, then go to him. He needs you. That place needs you. We always did."

Unable to talk and barely able to breathe, Sarah watched her beloved teacher pick up his briefcase and wander into the corridor. Leaning around the door, he said, "I will be here teaching the craft of escapism to those who need it most, but you need more than that. Go. Escape!" Grinning with tears in his aged eyes, he left the doorway and his footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Utterly confused and overwhelmed, Sarah ran from the building into the cold miasma to find her bike.

* * *

**AN: I called this chapter 'In the Next Room' after the poem, because for me this chapter represents the merging of Sarah's worlds. I am glad I finally got to reveal who Mr Scales is. I planned from his introduction to know more about Sarah's life than she thought, so here it is. I hope it pleases – as always, please review. There will not be much chance to change the story's path in a few chapters' time.**


	27. Chapter 27

**XXVII - Reunion**

Even though the morning had dragged on the sun still hid in the sky behind the fog like a white saucer, occasionally getting brighter but ultimately remaining obscured. As a result, the air never warmed and the mist did not clear until the following day. As Sarah sped down the road on her bike the vapour divided around her and chilled her swirling legs. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, but it did not drown out the commotion in her head. _Mr Scales…he was always so nice to me…he always wanted to hear what I had to say…I had sort of forgotten the importance of what I did to_

"_Jareth,_" she whispered into the thick air, her breath condensing and adding to the mist, and agitated tears formed in the edges of her eyes.

As the memories of all her time spent in the Labyrinth looped around her mind she turned routinely and cycled across Fross Park. The circus had left town and remnants of the event littered the park. Food wrappers, empty bottles, ticket stubs and ripped posters were scattered across the ground and had frozen into the grass and leaves to form a slippery, treacherous mess. Sarah kept to the path in fear as she nervously replayed the events of both circuses. They still chilled her, but she could not help but feel miserable when she saw the ghost of the circus before her. _It's left…it's gone…life goes on…_

Shaking her head, she pushed on.

Eventually after navigating the slimy roads Sarah arrived at the familiar sight of her childhood house. Her dad's car was in the driveway for once and she grinned in relief as she chained her bike to the porch. Walking up the little white steps to her front door she could feel the yearning in every part of her body. _…I wish I was a kid again._ She had run up to this door hundreds of times, and most of those times she had been late. _If only Merlin was still around to greet me..._

Sarah did not know entirely why she was visiting her father's house, but she knew that whether she chose to stay or go, she needed to see him. She was going to put her key in the door, but a sudden feeling of being an outsider made her knock. Behind the door she could hear the sounds of shuffled footsteps, and soon enough her father answered her call. His soft, aging form poked around the door; he was stood in a pair of jeans and an old sweater, and some brown slippers.

"Sarah! To what do I owe this pleasure, hey?"

He pulled her into a hug and lifted her up like she was still a toddler.

"Dad! You'll drop me! Quit it!" she laughed until he put her down.

"Humour your old man. Come in, come in."

Sarah smiled and paced into the hallway filled with confusion. _Why is he so happy?_ She kicked off her shoes and as she did so she once again surveyed the décor. _Still old and just as ugly_.

"Dad, why'd you never redecorate this place? It's not the eighties anymore."

"Hey!" he replied, closing the door and rubbing the cold from his arms, "I like this. You get to a point in life Sarah where your taste stops – I always liked this floor…"

Sarah twisted her mouth but conceded defeat. "Whatever you say…" She glanced at the pictures of her mother on the dresser.

Robert went into the kitchen and put on the kettle, fishing out two mugs from a high cupboard. "You still drink coffee?"

"Yeah."

He nodded and spooned some coffee granules into the mugs before turning to face Sarah, leaning on the counter behind him.

"Seriously, don't you have class today or something?"

"Don't you have work?"

"Touché. Well, I was supposed to, but apparently I haven't taken enough holiday this year. I was going to go fishing with the boys today but the weather didn't really agree with us."

He poured hot water into the mugs and stirred as Sarah tried to figure out why she had come here on such a whim.

"Dad, I've got some stuff I wanna ask you."

He handed her a mug. "Sounds serious. Come on, tell me."

Inhaling deeply, she let the words out. "Dad, why did you never…you know…find anyone else when Irene left? You just sort of stayed here, in limbo, and I didn't understand. You didn't sell the house, you barely see Toby, and every time I see you, you always seem so…down. And those pictures that you still have up really freak me out; I mean, it was so long ago and to have their faces looming up at you always…" She breathed again.

More disappointed than anything else, Robert swirled his coffee in the mug and then sipped it. "You know," he began abruptly, "I didn't know that's what you thought of me."

"Dad, I'm sorry, but-

"No, no you've had your say and now it's my turn. When your mother left it was hard on me, I know, but I wasn't too scathed. To be frank I never really thought we worked that well, even though we loved each other very much. She saw marriage as a burden rather than a gift…when she died, I was very sad for a while, but life goes on eventually…Anyway, with Irene it was different. The connection I had with your mother wasn't there but I wanted the stability for you and I suppose I wanted another kid." Here he paused and sipped some coffee, scratching his head and trying to frame his thoughts properly. "I guess when you left home, I realised that I didn't need her any more. She used to nag me and Toby non-stop to the point that we used to argue almost every day, so she cleared off."

Sarah raised an eyebrow and Robert and it seemed to anger him. "Look, I know you think I don't see _Toby_ enough, but that's because I don't see _you _enough. I go up and see him most weekends, but you wouldn't know that because you never ask. It's just _you_ that left home and decided to cut ties. I send you cards at Christmas and on your birthday but they never say what I really want to. I'm gunna be honest, when I saw you had come home the other day I was so shocked – that's why I was so down when I saw you, because I felt embarrassed…I thought you were ashamed of me and you had hoped to not see me when you came round…"

Here Robert trailed off and looked down at his coffee. Neither had been prepared for this heavy a conversation, but it had been a long time coming and Sarah furthered it nonetheless.

"Dad, leaving home was never to leave you. I think it was this house – it just had too many memories and I hated coming back. All the pictures everywhere…" she shuddered like a cliche.

"Well excuse me for wanting to remember your mother...just because she left didn't mean that I wanted to forget her. And look, just because I have photos of Irene doesn't mean I'm weird – did you notice that Toby is in all of them?"

Sarah flushed in realisation. "Oh dad I don't know! I just assumed that you were cooped up here wallowing."

"Wallowing! Just because I never remarried again?" he scoffed.

"_Alright_! It sounds stupid now I say it out loud. I was wrong, okay? Very wrong." She huffed miserably. "I'm sorry I never came to see you more before now."

She put down her mug and approached her father guiltily, putting her arms around him, head exploding with thoughts. _Why did I just assume he was unhappy?_

Robert hugged his daughter back lovingly and stroked her hair, forcing back tears stoically. "It's alright. I know you were only worrying about me, but believe me I'm fine. I don't need to be married to live a full life you know, I can do fine on my own."

_So will I…_she thought blissfully…_alone…all for one…_Sarah cast out her urge to go running into the Underground again. _Maybe I will even go to class tomorrow..._

For the rest of the morning and early afternoon Sarah and Robert Williams spent their time together reminiscing about funny childhood moments and discussing Toby and how he was getting on at school. Everything that Sarah had once loathed about her family and had tried to forget now felt insignificant, and no matter what her prior opinions had been, she left that afternoon feeling a new found warmth for her father. As she unchained her bike and began to cycle back to student halls, she felt empowered with a new sense of identity and purpose. _I can live without Jareth…I don't need to find someone else to define me…I can just be __**me**__…just like dad…_And yet underneath it all, something just out of reach still nagged in her subconscious, discontenting her.

The world outside was growing dark so much earlier than before and so Sarah cycled through the dusky park back to campus trying to ignore the shadows that skulked in the corners of her vision. On campus the evening lights had come on even though it was not beyond four o'clock, but Sarah enjoyed the twilight feel they gave the place. Even though it was still cold, Sarah felt warmer than ever.

When she finally arrived at her room and began to fish around her pocket for her key she suddenly paused cautiously, ears like a cat's, because she could hear soft music creep out from under the door. It sounded like her Echo and the Bunnymen record, but she could not be sure. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key in the lock, pushed the door open and was met by the sight of a very much changed Jareth sat in front of her record collection, suddenly motionless as Sarah's eyes met his. Rather nervously he jumped up and brushed himself down. Sarah's breath stopped and her eyes bulged in surprise, for before her stood the Goblin King kitted out in jeans, boots and what she could have sworn was her Human League t shirt, but in men's size, poking out from a leather jacket. Even his hair lay flat against his head but was pushed back from his face messily. She tried desperately to not find it endearing, but could not help it. Every part of her body went through every emotion she could fathom as the pair gawked at each other, until finally Jareth spoke.

"I am so sorry to intrude Sarah – forgive me."

_Oh god! Why is he here? I was ready…I was so ready to get on with life here…why now…_

Sarah folded her arms. "Um, fine, whatever…what do you want Jareth?" _Urgh, you sound so horrible, at least be polite_…

Jareth pulled at his sleeves nervously and tried to seem calm, but Sarah could see the strain in his face.

"I…well, I think it is best if we, uh…" He sighed loudly. "We need to talk."

Sarah folded her arms across her beating heart. _Go to him…just go…_"There's nothing to talk about."

_Believe me Lily, I tried begging once before…_

_**Then try again.**_

Jareth in a fit of desperation, feeling utterly ridiculous in his new attire and totally at a loss with how to proceed, threw himself to his knees before Sarah and grabbed her clammy hand before she could fully step back.

"Jareth?" she spluttered anxiously.

"Please Sarah! Please…" he stared up at her with his newly jaded eyes and she felt instantly unkind. "Please hear me."

As Jareth knelt before her, Sarah realised just how much had changed in the past few days. Here was a man who had previously threatened to ruin her entire world, but now here was a boy who was afraid, lost and more confused than Sarah could ever understand. _You're taking for granted that Jareth loves you dearly…Lily was right…One day, he'll stop trying… _She thought about Mr Scales, and her pride wilted, because she finally knew what she was doing, no matter how it looked to anyone else. _I am in control_. Sarah's new found contentment and strength from her father softened her, so she pulled Jareth to his feet and wrapped her arms around his stupidly awkward and skinny body. Unsure of how to feel, Jareth returned the embrace, his heart rattling in his chest in case she was about to reject him all over again. With her head against his shoulder, Sarah spoke.

"Jareth, I'm sorry – I've been horribly cruel. There is no reason why we can't be friends after all we have been through together." She pulled back and saw that Jareth seemed less nervous, but still he seemed to beg.

"Can we just talk?"

Sarah nodded, cupping his face with her right hand. "Of course - but not here. Let me take you some where." She grinned and picked up her back pack. "Come on – in those clothes I'm taking you to the students' union. You really look the part."

Sarah boldly took Jareth's hand and led him out of the room, leaving her outgrown pride behind her and leaving the record to finish with no one to hear it.

…_Fate  
Up against your will  
Through the thick and thin  
He will wait until  
You give yourself to him…_

* * *

_**AN: Finally uploaded and finally finished! Just a couple of chapters left I think, if not one. I think by Christmas all will be resolved.  
**_


	28. Chapter 28

**XXVIII – Truce**

The campus was shrouded in cold evening darkness and Sarah could feel Jareth shudder when they walked outside and made their way to the students' union. Neither of them had a word to say to one another yet, so instead they kept their eyes forward and marched on across the campus. Sarah gripped Jareth's hand reassuringly, occasionally looking up and seeing his eyes light up whenever she squeezed his hand. His hair looked amiable swept back over his head and under the street lamps his ethereal skin looked almost translucent. A swell of love surged up in Sarah's chest but she held it in; they still had so much to say to one another before she told him the truth. She remained safe in her position of dramatic irony, allowing him to worry while she knew soon she would ease his pain.

The students' union building did not boast many useful facilities besides the extremely large and comfortable common area that housed a coffee shop by day and became a bar at night. Sarah led Jareth by the arm into the square and found a low, small table and sofa in a corner that was placed next to a wall entirely made of glass. Outside, she could see the terrace and the night sky over the park in the distance, and it pleased her to finally see some beauty in her own world again. Jareth slid into the small purple sofa and surveyed the room pensively, clearly out of his comfort zone. Sarah had warmed up immensely inside so she pulled off her big brown jumper and tried to ignore the way Jareth's eyes grew foggy and traced her torso back up to her face. When he caught her eye, though, his eyes widened in embarrassment and he looked at his hands.

"What do you want to drink Jareth?" she asked, fishing around in her pocket for coins.

"What sort of drinks does this…establishment offer?" In a room filled with young American voices, his liquid English accent stuck out and made Sarah chuckle.

"Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?"

Jareth rubbed his cheek and reclined on on the sofa as if it was his throne.

"Just get me what you think is best. Can I not fetch them Sarah?"

"No way – I make it a rule to not allow strange men to buy my drinks for me."

Sarah left Jareth more nervous than before at the table and went to the coffee station.

Unsure of what to do with himself, Jareth shifted in the rather unusual chair. It was his first time Overground since Sarah had freed him from the bondage of his parents' magic, so he had to remind himself to be calm and unnoticed. He fiddled with his hands so that he did not absentmindedly forge a crystal and surveyed the room to distract himself from his increasingly pacey heartbeat. The glass ceiling was very high above him and if it was dimmer in the room he knew he would be able to see the moon through the glass. As it was, the artificial strip lights prevented him from doing so, but he did not mind; in fact, he thought them beautiful in their own way, unlike any candle or sun light. They cast long shadows around the room and Jareth was glad he was skulking in a corner, almost out of sight. Sarah was queuing – he could see her mulling over the menu. Her long dark hair was pulled over her right shoulder and so he could see the shape of her back and shoulders through her t-shirt. When she turned, he could see she had her hand to her mouth and was thinking deeply about something. Longing tightened in his throat and he felt suddenly terrible with the old familiar thought: _How could I ever expect her to accept me after everything that has happened_? He looked around the room and saw normal teenagers and young adults, all chatting and laughing and living in their mortal moments, reveling in their own worlds. A different kind of longing set Jareth's mood spiraling as he wished to live their normal Overground life. He felt as if a long chain was caught around his ankle and that it was dragging him back towards his duties as a ruler and king. Every time he pulled away, the manacles only grew tighter._ I would give anything to be free of this_.

Meanwhile, Sarah's nervousness meant that humour got the better of her, so she ordered herself a cup of earl grey and Jareth a large hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. _Let's see how he likes being catered for…_ The cashier had no idea what was making Sarah stifle laughter so much, especially when she snorted as the barista handed her the huge mound of cream-covered beverage. She carefully brought it back to her table on a tray and slid it in front of Jareth, who frowned at the mug.

"Really? This looks more like a desert than a beverage."

"What? It's an Overground classic." She grinned and blew on her tea casually as she sunk into the purple sofa.

Jareth raised an eyebrow and lifted the mug with his ungloved hands before sipping a little of the drink from under the cream. When he emerged, face blissful from the liquid he had discovered in the mug, he had a fine splodge of cream on his nose and upper lip. Sarah began to giggle at the spectacle of the Goblin King now fallen from grace, but her thoughts of the Goblin City turned her serious.

"So, it's been a weird couple of days…I think we need to talk about what we do about us."

Jareth wiped the cream from his face quickly, filled with apprehension and hope.

"Yes…yes we do." His voice glided like silk across the table. Even when Sarah knew he was very discontent underneath it all, he was still so regal and strong.

Sarah took a deep breath.

"I have been unfair to you Jareth, but you have to know it was never intended - most of it was out of inexperience. I never expected to reach adulthood still believing in fairy stories, but here I am talking to a goblin monarch in a coffee shop, having been seconds from death the day before...It was easy for Lily to accept, but it's not so easy for me. Everything I study in English for escapism I could have in an instant, but it's just not that simple Jareth. I can't give up one world in favour of another."

Sarah rested a minute and sipped her tea, shaking with anticipation.

Jareth ignored his drink and when Sarah had lowered her cup he took both of her hands in his, stroking the tops of them with her thumbs.

"But Sarah," he breathed, "I can't give you up."

She pulled her hands away firmly.

"Jareth, _neither can I_. I am not anyone's to _have_."

It seemed as if the pair had reached an impasse, and neither knew what to say to one another to make things better. Around them people jeered and nattered away effortlessly, and the coffee shop began to close up as the bar opened on the far side of the square. Jareth looked at the bar and saw them tear an old menu in two, and suddenly he was hit with a wave of inspiration. He shuffled closer to her and put a hand on her knee.

"Sarah, I need to prove something to you." Jareth unzipped his jacket an inch or so and lifted his golden pendant from under his shirt. Gripping the metal with his fingers, he somehow pulled the charm apart to form two smaller but identical pendants. He leaned forward and placed the pendant over Sarah's head. Sarah felt his fingers on her neck as he teased her long hair free from the chain and her eyelids flickered. "Once I told you that I wanted to rule you, but not anymore. I met my match in you Sarah, and you are equal in all ways to me, so I want you to have what you deserve. This is not a proposal or even a plea – I am passed doing that. You can continue your studies here and do as you will, but you will also have access to the Labyrinth and all the people in it that," he swallowed, "Love you."

_The best of both worlds_. Sarah could have shrieked with happiness as the reality dawned on her: she could gain mastery in both worlds on her own. The power was hers. Sarah looked up ecstatically at Jareth and knew that nothing held her back anymore.

Jareth smiled cautiously when he saw how pleased Sarah seemed. "My kingdom is great…" she whispered as she closed her eyes, and when she opened them he had rested his hands on the sofa in front of her, near her legs.

"Sarah, I've been alone for hundreds of years, and infatuated with you for only a few of them. I am completely new at this, however I am not going to be dishonest; I never want to lose you again." He cleared his throat gruffly. "But I am not expecting you to leap into my arms like a fairy princess so we can live happily ever after. I would never do you the dishonour of assuming that. I just want to know that I have a chance…one day?" Here he stopped and looked at her inquisitively, and her eyes shone.

"Of _course_ you do – I was being harsh before. After everything we've been through together I can't just forget about you. Besides," Sarah put her hands on his jacket collar, and pulled him close to her, "If we take things slowly, then we could be onto something, you know. I like you Jareth. I think you will be a good friend to me."

The air between their faces felt warm and sparked with the nervousness of Jareth and the revealed affection of Sarah. She looked profoundly into Jareth's eyes and wanted to erase all the hurt they held, all the misery that had accumulated in his life. It would be a hard task to fulfill, but Sarah considered that maybe, just maybe, Jareth would in time do the same for her. Jareth closed his eyes to cut off the pain of being so close to Sarah and yet feeling that he would never be worthy of her. Accepting her fate, Sarah clumsily closed the gap between them and caught his parted lips in a kiss. At first, Jareth opened his eyes wide in confusion and thought that somehow he had initiated it and that any moment she would slap him away. Then, when he realised that she had wrapped her arms around his neck and that _she_ was tamely kissing _him_, his whole body unwound and he gently placed his hands on her waist blissfully. The kiss was not x-rated – the earth did not quiver beneath them – but it was completely unrestrained. It was the kiss of two friends finally giving in to what had been in front of them for a very long time. Around him the room fogged into insignificance as Jareth struggled to remain this side of comprehension. Eventually Jareth pulled away in a most gentlemanly manner, embarrassed at kissing Sarah in the open, leaving Sarah's arms still hanging loose around his shoulders. His blond hair had fallen back across his forehead.

"Sarah…" he murmured, looking intently at her face. She put her face closer to his.

"_I'm not saying I'm coming to live with you and marry you and live a subservient queenly life_," she whispered, looking longingly at his lips, "_But I'd like it if I could see you on weekends, just until I finish my degree…Maybe have a few dates…_"

Before Jareth could reply she put her lips on his again and stroked his soft blond hair from his face. In those moments before Sarah pulled away, Jareth felt all the sorrow lift from his body; he felt lighter, younger, content and free. Sarah was unable to identify what she felt other than adoration and power. When Sarah finally did pull away, it was only because a familiar voice roused them both. It was a mature male voice saying, "Now – that's not something you expect to see on a Monday night in the SU!"

Sarah looked up and saw Mr Scales stood before them in a dark rain coat and woolly hat. His eyes were wider than ever but he could not help chuckling loudly. The pair blushed, Jareth rather begrudgingly, and John calmed down.

"Mr Sc- _John_ – what are you doing here?"

"I was meeting a friend, actually – old people do have a social life Sarah." He grinned cheekily.

Jareth stood up and approached John, wordlessly, and embraced the little man like an old friend. John patted Jareth's slumped back and his eyes went very glossy.

"It's been a very long time, John...I've never had a chance to apologise..." Jareth mumbled.

"I sense a great change in you, Jareth, let's ignore apologies for now," said John when Jareth stood back up, "I almost didn't recognise you, even without the student on your face." Sarah frowned comically.

"Yes – I am afraid that as usual Sarah has been instrumental in changing me for the better," he smiled and stared lovingly at Sarah.

"So, I hear you will be whisking my best student away then? My figures will go down you know!"

Sarah butted in.

"I will be in class on Friday, Mr Scales – _John_ – I'll get used to that…but yes – I decided to continue my tuition. I've got my eyes on that degree. I might," she grinned up at Jareth, "'pop off' sometimes, though."

John nodded thankfully. "Well, that is very good to hear, obviously. It's a bit of a muddled session on Friday, but we'll see…I think you two have some things to 'discuss', so I will leave you alone." He turned back to Jareth. "It is always a pleasure to be in your presence, sire. It always was – even then."

Jareth took John's hand and shook it strongly. "You are welcome back anytime."

John laughed as he did up his coat higher. "Oh no! I'd best not! I've had quite enough chaos!"

"I think you will find the place very much changed." Sarah added.

"As far as I can remember it was complete pandemonium! A circus! A mess of unruly goblins, far worse than any Tolkien malarkey!"

_Well_, thought Sarah, _some things will never change_.

John told Sarah he would see her on Friday, winked and shuffled off to a table where another lecturer sat waiting.

Jareth turned to Sarah and took her hand. "Where would you like to go Sarah?"

Sarah pursed her lips stubbornly. "I suppose at some point I need to reconcile with Lily, don't I?"

He nodded and with his free hand cupped her cheek before letting his fingers enter her hair; he let them run to the tips of her hair, and she shivered.

"My halls are pretty cold…and let's face it, there's no magic there..."

"I can have you in the Labyrinth in seconds."

"So, your place then?" she giggled, and he laughed and picked up her jumper for her. They sauntered towards the door, Jareth's arm tight around Sarah's waist, and left their half full drinks (and the sofa) still steaming. When they walked through the door frame, headed into the night air, they never appeared on the other side.

* * *

**AN: WOO! I finally wrote the most difficult scene in the story. I built up to this kiss so much that I was afraid to write it :O Every guy should know that the way to a girl's heart is the promise of inter-world travel with no strings attached. Only one more chapter left now, I think. Merry Christmas everyone, especially to all my frequent readers and reviewers!**


	29. Chapter 29

**XXIX - The Best of Both Worlds**

Sarah felt a strange tugging in the back of her stomach as for a split second her vision blurred and all she could see was the night sky swimming before her. When the moment passed, she found herself stood once again in Jareth's throne room, which was now brighter and cleaner than ever. Little goblins scurried about the place and squeaked in recognition of their saviour as they passed her, before scuttling away into the walls or corridors. Sarah breathed in and felt the magic air of the Labyrinth caress her city-tired lungs, and then exhaled as she felt Jareth's arms wrap around her waist from behind her. He put his chin on her shoulder and his nose near her ear.

"Easy Jareth," Sarah teased, "I told you we were taking things slowly."

"So I assume you will not be kissing me again this side of dusk," he murmured.

"_Well_…" Sarah turned and kissed his nose, "I can't promise that."

Their intimate moment was interrupted by the sound of a loud roar outside. Recognising the voice, Sarah walked to the large window sill and saw Ludo in the courtyard below helping some goblin villagers repair the damage done to their home by one of the vicious wolves. Sarah beamed down at her fuzzy friend as he swung a piece of rock and nearly cleared Sir Didymus from his noble steed's back, and laughed as Hoggle lamented and buried his face in the manuscript of repair plans.

Sarah then caught sight of the magnificent statue of Labrynthe and grimaced. "I'm not sure I will ever find a way to make it up to Labrynthe, you know…" she breathed. Jareth frowned and he joined Sarah at the window.

"She is part of the Labyrinth now, Sarah – you do her justice with the wonderful way you have always treated this land and my subjects." She nodded and sat down on the sill, hanging her feet down and letting them swing meters from the ground. Jareth swung his legs over the side as well and so Sarah put her arm around him; he slid happily into the nape of her shoulder. He was still apprehensive in case Sarah changed her mind, but he was confident in his movements. Sarah absentmindedly played with the blond wisps on top of his head.

The sun was hanging low in the distance and pretty soon the villagers would have to stop working for the day. Sarah stared off across what appeared to be infinite walls, trees and caves, wondering what was beyond the edge of the Labyrinth. _I suppose I can find out whenever I want now_…she squeezed her arm tighter around Jareth.

Then she saw the person she was dreading most – a flash of blond hair below near the fountain made Sarah's heart jump. _I was horrible to her too…_

"Should I go to her?"

"Maybe wait for a while – wait until she comes inside."

"Mmm…where's Froud?"

Jareth shifted uneasily next to her.

"What?"

"Froud took it upon himself to leave very suddenly, early this morning."

Sarah moved away to observe his grave face.

"WHAT?"

Jareth fluffed his hair back into place.

"He said that he had been up all night after an argument with Lily, just sat alone and deep in thought. I'm afraid it did not take long for Lily and Froud to realise that they had nothing in common. Some situations just throw people together who really are not compatible. The honeymoon period lasted a matter of hours..."

"Oh…" Sarah grew forlorn. "Where did he go?"

"He left you a note actually," replied Jareth, who forged a little roll of manuscript in his hand and gave it to her. The letters were rather scrawly.

_Dear Sarah,_

_If you ever come back here, I hope you get a hold of this note. I am leaving – Jareth has permitted me access to the Overground, where I hope to find my real parents. It sounds cruel to leave everyone here, especially your good friend Lily, but the truth is I never really belonged here and I need to start afresh. I would like to return someday, but we'll see. I am sorry for not seeing you in person, but I know that you of all people will understand how important it is to do what your heart tells you. If you are reading this, it probably means you are with Jareth now. He is a great man, I wish you both the best of luck. Take care of him, and of Lily. And thank you, for everything. We had the adventure of a lifetime._

_Good luck on your next adventure,_

_Forever your kind friend,_

_Froud_

Jareth sat patiently as Sarah assessed the note, until she finally broke the silence.

"Wow…I hope he finds them, but I don't know how he's going to explain his birth to a woman that wished him away before he was even born! He doesn't sound too bothered about Lily."

"I think Lily never really wanted Froud, underneath it all. And he knew."

Sarah nodded and looked up into Jareth's beautiful green eyes.

"I always wanted you, underneath it all," she said, with a heavy voice. Jareth's eyes filled with adoration and he embraced Sarah, breathing in her scent and thanking his stars that he was so fortunate.

"Come on," he said, "I think it best that we arrange some sort of truce meal for this evening, just to be safe. Lily was not best pleased with you-

"And I with her," Sarah grunted.

"I know."

* * *

Sarah and Jareth spent the rest of the late afternoon in the kitchen chatting to the chefs and helping the goblins cut up vegetables and lay places; the novelty of their newly-good monarch would take years to wear off, so they all beamed up at Jareth with harmonious eyes. When the large clock in the castle struck seven, Lily, Didymus and Hoggle made their way up to the castle dining room, having been informed that there was something very important happening at dinner time. The trio entered the room and assumed their usual seating, and Jareth was already sat at the head of the table in a large-backed, very fine chair. He was dressed in his evening blue attire and nodded as they all came in, acting the Mr Melancholy and quaffing wine.

"_How long d'ya reckon he'll mope for? We all lost a friend too,_" muttered Hoggle to Lily as they pulled in their chairs. Jareth lowered his glass and leaned forward on his elbows.

"I asked you here this evening to tell you some news."

Didymus's whiskers trembled in anticipation. All expected Jareth to talk again, but he was silent, and before they could prompt him Sarah appeared from behind his chair, still dressed in her Overground clothes and looking quite stubbornly at Lily. Lily, who was dressed in a blue silk gown and looked very much the part, opened her mouth slightly. Hoggle and Didymus leaped up to meet her.

"My lady, I never thought I wouldst see thee again! We are all together at last!"

Sarah squeezed Didymus and prodded his nose. "You know I'll always need you Didy." Then she turned to Hoggle, who was tapping his foot and folding his arms.

"You're makin' a habit o' leavin' without sayin' goodbye."

Sarah smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry – I'll try to stop."

Hoggle softened, so she pulled the little man into a hug, then rose and went to sit next to Lily, who was picking at the table cloth.

"Lil?"

"I know you're going to say 'I told you so', but then I could say the same to you."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out with Froud."

Lily finally looked up at Sarah.

"Oh, you're full of it. Let's face it, I was jumping in at the deep end for a chance to escape. As it turns out, I didn't need one…I mean, I love it here, and Jareth, you've been great, but you were right…I have nothing of my own here. I'm just a spare part."

"Then why not get a job? I'm sure Jareth can arrange-

"Yeah, _Jareth _can. I'm everything we argue against in seminars – I'm Heurodis – I'm Princess Rymenhild…I miss the degree already…and now you're here, and I made you think it was a good idea."

She looked teary, so Sarah rested her arm on her friend's.

"So why didn't you just ask Jareth to send you back?"

"Because I'm even prouder than you!" She laughed, wiping away a tear. Sarah laughed too, and shook her head at Lily.

"Lily, I'm not here permanently – I'm still doing my course, I still want that first! But I'm…" she shot a loving glance at Jareth, "Otherwise engaged at weekends." She grinned.

Lily's tears evaporated.

"So, I can come back with you? Keep going to class?"

"Of course, Silly Lily! That's okay, isn't it?" She asked Jareth.

Jareth, who had remained rather quiet, chipped in, "You have the pendant – you tell me." He grinned, his sharp teeth no longer menacing.

"Look, Lily, let's have dinner now and we'll sort everything out later. I'm so hungry I could eat Ludo!"

* * *

After the meal was demolished and Sarah had explained everything, including the curious coincidence of Mr Scales, Jareth and Sarah retired to his private quarters. Sarah felt coy seeing him so relaxed and less regal, but she liked it nonetheless. Across the entire left length of his room were dark wooden bookcases filled with books dating back to Old English, and probably even further. The whole room was decorated with rich green velvets and silks, and there was a huge crystal chandelier in the centre of the high ceiling. A large four poster bead graced one wall, and a spacious windowsill filled some of the fall wall. Sarah was drawn instantly to the bookcase, desperate to feel all the spines. She ran her fingers across the volumes.

"Hey Jareth, I wondered if you could help – me and Lily have to read Ancrene Wisse and the Hali Meiðhad by Friday, have you got copies in this…" she gawped up at the mass of books, "Library?"

Jareth went to a specific section a few shelves down.

"Which versions?"

Sarah laughed loudly, and soon enough the pair were curled up on the bed, Jareth reading aloud to Sarah.

On a particular section, he put on a deep, resounding voice and demanded,

"God knows, it would be to me preferable that I see you all three, my dear sisters, women to me most dear, hung on a gibbet, to escape sin, that I might see one of you give a single kiss to any man on earth so as I mean!"

Sarah scoffed, "I think Lily will have a few things to say about this on Friday…"

Jareth laughed, "Yes, it is rather awful, but then again it is rather old and outdated."

"I can think of a few old and outdated things," Sarah teased, picking at Jareth's clothes.

"Point made, Sarah; but things are very different here."

Sarah took the book away from Jareth and rested it on the floor next to the bed, then shuffled back to him and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Different is good," she murmured, stroking his cheek, "I like different."

* * *

The air in the Overground always felt dry and stale when Sarah had to return. It was finally Friday morning, and Lily was happier than ever to get to class. They both walked up the steps of the familiar, dated building and entered their seminar room. Mr Scales was sat in his chair at the head of the room, and most of the students were present. His face lit up when he saw the girls, and he tried to feign ignorance.

"Ah, Lily – good to hear you are better. I thought I might not see you for a while."

"No chance of that!" she jeered. "Can't get rid of me."

Sarah and Lily took their usual seats and pulled out their copies of Ancrene Wisse and the Hali Meiðhad amidst the rustling of paper and din of chatter.

"So," began Mr Scales, "Everyone enjoy the reading this week?"

Sarah and Lily snorted, and the class turned their heads slightly in their direction, sniggering.

"I assumed you would both have an opinion," he taunted.

"Only one?" replied Sarah.


	30. Chapter 30

**XXX - Epilogue**

Sarah and Lily savoured the time that they spent in the Labyrinth, but most important to them was their studies. Lily excelled in her dissertation on Post-Modern theatre, and Sarah got the highest mark the university had ever seen for her dissertation on Medieval literature. When the three years were up, Lily decided that it was best for her to escape again for a while and traverse the Overground for a change. Sarah was sad to see her go, but assured in the fact that she would see her again. As for Sarah, she was offered her dream job – the proposition of a fully-funded MA and PhD scholarship, which she quickly accepted. She decided that maintaining a small flat Overground to receive mail and friends would be manageable. Jareth had meanwhile thrown himself into his role as ruler, and the Labyrinth had never been more beautiful. When a child was wished away, Jareth did everything in his power to give the child the best thirteen hours of their life. Meanwhile, his loyal companions Hoggle, Ludo and Didymus would ensure that the wisher would run the Labyrinth without any major threat or peril. When their hour was up, he sent them home with rather sheepish siblings, changed for the better. Of course, there were more serious incidents he had to manage as a ruler, such as shortages, schisms and rival kingdoms getting too big for their boots, but Sarah always provided him with a fresh perspective and eventually Sarah co-ruled.

On the evening that Sarah found out her degree classification and accepted the educational opportunity, she returned to the Labyrinth and rushed up to Jareth's chambers, brimming with excitement. Jareth had sensed her arrival and placed her favourite record, 'Head Over Heels', on her deck.

Sarah burst through and threw her rucksack on the floor. Jareth turned around and raised his eyebrows.

"And?"

"I got a first!" she yelled, bounding over to him and throwing her arms around him.

"I cannot feign surprise, Sarah – we all knew you would! So, do I get to see you graduate in that ridiculous hat and gown?"

Sarah looked down at Jareth's pale leggings, cream shirt and waistcoat. "I never thought the Goblin King of all people would be giving me fashion advice. And yes, I'm allowed up to four guests – I'm thinking you, dad, Irene and Toby, perhaps."

Jareth pushed Sarah's hair back from her face. "I finally get to meet your family then?"

"I think it's been long enough now, and you did sort of meet Toby already - just don't wear that!" she replied, kissing Jareth's forehead. Sarah sauntered over to the high table and hopped up next to the record player, closing her eyes idyllically at the music and humming the tune. When she opened them, Jareth was before her, so she wrapped her legs around him and put her arms around his shoulders.

"They offered me an MA and a PhD, you know – fully funded."

Jareth's eyes bulged as he placed his arms around her waist.

"I feel utterly imbecilic courting a scholar," he said fondly, "You will have to educate me."

Sarah pulled him closer and kissed him softly. "Will it be okay? It means more years of me studying, and hopping back and forth."

"It is but a blip on the life we will live, Sarah." He kissed her back passionately.

"Mmm," she pondered, "Jareth, I gather that I will age a lot slower here, but how slow? Won't my dad find it odd? I'll be a modern Dorian Gray or Bilbo Baggins."

"Sarah, with the magic you have in that pendant, you could turn yourself into a dragon. Adding a few years for your visits will hardly be a strain."

"I suppose you are right...the Labyrinth will have a field day when they see middle-aged me…"

Jareth chuckled.

"What do you envisage doing after your studies end?"

Sarah grinned. "I considered retiring here for a bit and writing a book or two…being my own boss for a bit…" Sarah leaned forward and began to kiss Jareth's neck and his eyes flickered.

"Sarah?"

"Mmmm…" she replied, kissing behind his ear.

"One last question - what will you tell your father, when you move here permanently?"

She stopped kissing him and paused for a moment, then giggled up against his ear and whispered,

"_I'll tell him I ran away to join the circus."_

* * *

_**Fin**_

* * *

_**Many thanks to every one that joined me on the adventure. As the year ends closes I felt that the story had to as well. A special thank you to all who reviewed, even if you didn't stick with me to the end: lulipmoran, The Queen of Water, , Dawnrain, Metal1loves, Princess of the Fae, meatpuppet1, Sarah Rose 29, DreamTea, black-heart-green-eyes, WhiteInfinity21, Nonsuch, VIAMB, FelineGrace, 01000000000100010000000, Grey Kindle, artseblis, miss fizzed, sheniyag, Ice n Fire, C.p.f syndrome, Unique Fantasiser, UnwrittenOpus, chiquitachispa, and **__**Newbie83**_for being the first.

I now plan to take a break and then in the New Year re-write and edit THE CONTRACT, then write a final fanfic to complete my C Trilogy. I hope to hear from you; until next time,

Happy New Year,  
Charlotte4sometimeS


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